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K.  McCully,  Maj. 


HISTORY 

OF  THE. 

118th  INFANTRY 

AMERICAN 
EXPEDITIONARY 
FORCE,  FRANCE 


1919 

The  State  Co.,  Printers 
Columbia,  S.  C. 


MEMORANDUM 


Headquarters,  118th  Infantry, 
American  Expeditionary  Forces, 
France,  December  31st,  1918. 


Memorandum  No.  388. 

1.  Lieut.  Sam  J.  Royall  is  hereby  detailed  on  Special 
Duty  as  regimental  historian. 

2.  All  officers  of  the  regiment  are  requested  to  at  once 
make  pencil  notes  of  events  that  should  be  included  in  this 
history  and  turn  them  over  to  Lieut.  Royall.  Accuracy  is 
important.  It  is  requested  that  Lieut.  Royall  be  assisted 
in  every  way  possible  so  that  nothing  may  delay  this  work, 
which  should  be  completed  before  any  breaking  up  of  the 
regiment  occurs. 

By  Order  of  Lieut.-Col.  Hartigan : 

F.  M.  Mack, 
Captain  Infantry, 
Operations  Officer. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  REGIMENT 


CHAPTER  I. 

Preliminary  Training. 

While  the  achievements  of  the  118th  Infantry  are  fresh 
in  the  minds  of  those  who  had  the  honor  to  belong  to  this 
Regiment,  the  coming  years  will  dim  the  memories  as  to 
dates,  names  and  places.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  we  be- 
lieve a record  should  be  written  while  these  things  are  fore- 
most in  the  lives  of  the  men  and  officers  of  this  Regiment. 
The  writer  will  not  attempt  to  apologize  for  the  following 
narrative  of  events.  He  was  appointed  to  record  them  in 
the  shape  of  a regimental  history,  not  on  account  of  possess- 
ing any  qualifications  for  such  an  undertaking,  but  simply 
because  some  one  had  to  do  it  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hart- 
igan,  with  whom  the  idea  originated,  happened  to  select 
him.  So  the  author  asks  that  you  read  this  with  the  idea 
that  it  is  in  no  manner  an  attempt  to  produce  a literary 
masterpiece  but  merely  a narrative  showing  the  impres- 
sions we  gathered  and  what  the  men  accomplished  when 
put  to  the  test.  While  it  is  an  attempt  to  produce  an  abso- 
lutely accurate  account,  there  are  many  things  of  impor- 
tance that  are  not  recorded  here,  and  no  doubt  there  are 
many  mistakes.  Having  gathered  the  information  for  this 
work  from  many  sources,  this  is  merely  an  attempt  to  con- 
solidate it  in  a logical  manner.  Bear  with  me  while  I give 
37ou  a brief  outline  of  our  training  period  in  the  United 
States  previous  to  our  service  in  Belgium  and  France. 

The  federalization  of  the  National  Guard  of  the  various 
States  necessitated  a change  in  the  official  designations  of 
the  Guard  units,  as,  under  the  new  plan  of  organization,  it 
was  necessary  to  combine  the  units  of  several  different 
States,  in  most  instances,  to  form  divisions.  Under  this 
new  method  of  organization,  the  divisions  were  formed 
according  to  the  geographical  location  of  the  several  States 
that  were  combined,  each  unit  being  given  a numerical  des- 


6 


ignation.  It  was  in  this  manner  that  the  old  First  South 
Carolina  Infantry  became  the  118th  Infantry,  and,  as  such, 
one  of  the  four  Infantry  regiments  of  the  30th  Division. 
The  118th  and  117th  Infantry  Regiments  and  the  114th 
Machine  Gun  Battalion  formed  the  59th  Infantry  Brigade, 
commanded  during  the  greater  part  of  its  existence  by 
Brigadier-General  Lawrence  D.  Tyson  of  Tennessee. 

Previous  to  becoming  the  118th  Infantry,  the  First  South 
Carolina  Infantry  had  served  on  the  Mexican  border, 
having  been  called  into  service  on  June  19th,  1916,  and 
having  been  mustered  out  of  service  in  December  of  the 
same  year.  While  the  experience  gained  on  the  border  was 
of  great  assistance  to  those  men  of  the  Regiment  who  served 
through  this  priod,  it  was  entirely  different  to  the  training 
required  for  trench  warfare.  It  was  what  we  afterwards 
termed  “q:>eace  time  warfare,”  but  it  did  give  the  Regiment 
a strong  nucleus  to  work  with,  when  the  strength  was  so 
greatly  increased. 

On  April  27th.,  1917,  the  Regiment  was  again  called  into 
service,  this  time  being  assigned  the  duty  of  guarding  im- 
portant property  throughout  South  Carolina.  Colonel 
P.  K.  McCully  of  Anderson,  S.  C.,  the  Commanding  Officer, 
established  Regimental  Headquarters  at  Columbia,  S.  C.. 
while  the  battalions  established  headquarters  in  different 
cities,  sending  companies  out  from  these  cities.  The  most 
important  duty  performed  bv  the  Regiment  from  the  date 
of  its  entry  into  service  until  the  middle  of  July  was  the 
constant  guarding  of  railroad  bridges  in  order  that  com- 
merce might  not  be  impeded  by  the  destruction  of  any  of 
them. 

About  the  middle  of  July  the  Regiment  was  assembled  at 
Camp  Sevier,  near  Greenville,  S.  C.,  as  the  pioneer  regi- 
ment of  the  30th  Division.  The  camp  at  that  time  consisted 
mostly  of  woods,  cultivated  fields  and  mud.  By  the  first  of 
November  great  improvements  had  been  made  in  the  camp, 
this  Regiment  having  contributed  more  than  its  share  of 
work  in  the  cleaning  up  process.  Infantry  might  have  been 
the  official  designation  of  the  Regiment,  but  the  men  insisted 
that  it  should  be  called  the  South  Carolina  Land  & Devel- 


7 


opment  Company,  so  expert  had  they  become  with  the  use 
of  the  pick  and  shovel. 

Under  the  new  plan  of  organization,  the  personnel  of  an 
infantry  regiment  had  been  greatly  increased,  the  new  plan 
calling  for  a war  strength  of  more  than  3,600  men  and 
officers.  As  this  Regiment  had  a strength  of  about  1.200 
when  it  reached  Camp  Sevier,  it  was  necessary  to  add  twice 
its  strength  to  fill  it  up  to  the  required  standard.  The  dis- 
solution of  the  55th  Depot  Brigade  in  October  added  sev- 
eral hundred  men  who  had  belonged  to  National  Guard 
units  from  South  Carolina,  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee. 
A draft  of  men  from  Camp  Jackson,  S.  C.,  during  the  same 
month,  brought  the  strength  to  around  two  hundred  men 
per  company  but  even  this  was  not  enough,  so  during  the 
winter  another  contingent  from  Camp  Dodge,  Iowa,  was 
added,  bringing  the  Regiment  to  full  war  strength.  The 
Camp  Dodge  men  were  mostly  from  Iowa,  Minnesota  and 
the  Dakotas,  but  soon  had  warmed  themselves  into  the 
hearts  of  the  Southerners,  establishing  a friendship  between 
the  different  sections  of  the  Union  that  will  always  be 
remembered  by  those  concerned. 

Having  started  training  when  the  Regiment  first  reached 
Camp  Sevier,  the  drills,  hikes,  trench  work  and  other  forms 
of  amusement  continued  through  many  weary  long  months. 
Day  after  day  the  men  struggled  through  eight  hours  of 
work,  slowly  but  steadily  progressing  toward  a standard 
that  would  mark  them  trained  soldiers.  Specialist  schools 
were  established,  in  which  men  and  officers  were  taught 
the  use  of  machine  guns,  automatic  rifles,  grenades,  the 
bayonet  and  all  the  other  modern  weapons  used  by  infantry 
in  France.  These  schools  were  supervised  by  French  and 
British  officers  who  selected  the  men  showing  special  qualifi- 
cations as  their  assistants,  these  assistants,  in  turn,  acting 
as  instructors  throughout  the  Regiment,  thus  enabling 
practically  every  man  to  become  familiar  with  the  use  of 
one  or  more  of  these  weapons. 

On  January  1st,  1918,  Colonel  McCully  and  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Spratt  were  temporarily  detached  from  the  Regi- 
ment in  order  that  they  might  take  a course  in  a school  in 


8 


Texas  that  had  been  established  for  the  purpose  of  instruct- 
ing officers  of  high  rank  in  their  important  duties.  During 
the  absence  of  Colonel  McCully,  the  Regiment  was  com- 
manded by  Colonel  H.  A.  Pattison,  an  officer  of  the  old 
regular  army.  Colonel  Pat,  as  he  was  called,  was  a soldier 
who  earned  the  admiration,  respect  and  loyalty  of  every 
officer  and  man  of  his  command.  A stern  disciplinarian, 
he  was  so  absolutely  just  and  fair  in  all  matters  that  there 
was  never  any  complaint  of  his  actions.  So  great  was  his 
devotion  to  duty  and  ability  to  see  the  minutest  mistakes, 
that  he  inculcated  in  all  a supreme  confidence  in  his  ability 
as  a leader  to  be  depended  upon  under  all  circumstances. 
Having  completed  their  courses  with  credit  to  themselves, 
both  Colonel  McCully  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Spratt  re- 
turned to  the  Regiment  in  April,  to  take  up  the  work  of 
preparing  us  for  the  great  work  ahead. 

By  this  time  the  men  could  no  longer  be  termed  recruits, 
great  changes  being  apparent  in  the  bearing  and  conduct 
of  the  men,  who  now  looked  to  be,  acted,  and  were  trained 
soldiers.  The  long,  tedious  days  spent  in  work  had  pro- 
duced the  desired  result,  although  this  was  never  admitted 
by  those  high  in  authority  as  it  seems  to  be  a fundamental 
principle  of  all  things  military  to  criticize  any  and  every- 
thing. In  the  humble  opinion  of  the  author,  a little  less 
work  and  a little  more  freedom  would  have  accomplished 
the  same  result  in  a less  time.  He  realizes  that  such  an 
opinion  is  no  doubt  contrary  to  that  of  all  military  authori- 
ties, but  would  like  to  give  one  or  two  reasons  for  making 
the  above  statement.  At  the  end  of  four  months  of  this  con- 
stant grind,  the  men  grew  stale,  or,  in  the  slang  of  a soldier, 
more  than  fed  up  and  began  to  recede  instead  of  continuing 
to  improve.  The  ultimate  object  of  all  this  was  to  inculcate 
a stem  discipline,  yet  when  we  were  placed  in  the  trenches, 
a great  deal  of  this  discipline  was  of  necessity  relaxed.  If 
the  Australians  had  any  superiors  as  fighters,  we  never 
came  into  contact  with  them,  yet  the  discipline  among  these 
famous  troops  was  a joke  judging  by  the  system  laid  down 
for  Americans.  The  author  sincerely  believes  that  a lot  of 
the  time  spent  in  this  training  was  an  absolute  waste  of 


9 


time  insofar  as  it  affected  the  actual  fighting  in  which  we 
participated. 

The  winter  of  1917-1918  was  perhaps  the  most  severe 
winter  of  the  past  forty  years  in  this  section  of  the  country. 
Snow,  rain  and  mud  made  it  all  the  harder  for  the  men, 
who  were  forced  to  spend  the  winter  in  tents,  yet  the  work 
never  ceased,  indoor  work  being  substituted  when  the 
weather  was  so  severe  as  to  prohibit  the  regular  schedule. 
Epidemics  attacked  us,  pneumonia,  meningitis,  measles  and 
mumps  all  going  through  the  regiment,  the  first  two  dreaded 
diseases  taking  their  deadly  toll.  Practically  every  com- 
pany lost  at  least  two  men  from  these  diseases.  On  account 
of  the  crowded  condition  of  the  Base  Hospital,  some  of  the 
patients  did  not  receive  the  proper  attention,  but,  generally 
speaking,  the  work  of  the  medical  corps  is  worthy  of  com- 
mendation. 

Toward  the  latter  part  of  April  it  became  apparent  that 
our  stay  at  Camp  Sevier  was  drawing  to  a close.  An  ad- 
vance detachment  of  officers  and  non-commissioned  officers, 
under  command  of  Major  Mahon,  left  camp  on  April  30th, 
bound  for  overseas  duty.  On  May  1st,  preparations  for 
breaking  camp  were  begun.  All  leaves  were  cancelled,  drills 
suspended,  and  a quarantine  was  placed  on  the  Regiment. 
The  friends  and  families  of  the  men  visited  the  camp  in 
great  numbers  to  bid  farewell  to  their  boys.  While  most  of 
the  men  seemed  to  realize  what  was  in  store  for  them  in  the 
future,  still  there  was  such  a vast  relief  in  knowing  that 
the  period  of  training  was  over  that  there  did  not  seem  to 
be  any  spirit  of  sadness  on  the  part  of  the  men. 

On  May  4th  the  Regiment  entrained,  bound  for  Camp 
Mills,  L.  I.,  reaching  this  camp  after  a three  days’  trip. 
The  Regiment  remained  there  a few  days,  during  which 
time  preparations  for  the  embarkation  were  completed  and 
the  shortage  of  equipment  was  filled.  On  May  10th  we 
ferried  over  to  Hoboken  and  soon  boarded  the  transports 
that  were  there  waiting  on  the  Division.  The  quarters  fur- 
nished the  men  were  exceedingly  crowded  and  could  not 
be  termed  first  class  passage,  but  the  knowledge  of  existing 
conditions  prevented  any  complaint  on  the  part  of  the  men. 


10 


It  was  while  on  these  transports  that  the  men  first  came 
into  close  contact  with  the  Englishman's  delight,  “tay,”  but 
this  beverage  never  became  very  popular  with  them  and 
could  not  take  the  place  of  coffee. 

On  the  11th,  the  convoy  set  sail,  the  start  being  made 
with  as  much  secrecy  as  possible.  After  a trip  of  twelve 
days,  endangered  by  the  submarine  menace,  the  convoy 
reached  Liverpool,  debarking  there  on  the  24th  of  May. 
On  the  same  day  the  Regiment  was  sent  across  England, 
part  of  it  detraining  at  Dover  and  the  balance  at  Folkstone. 
Crossing  the  English  Channel  on  May  27th,  the  Regiment 
landed  at  Calais,  in  a few  hours,  thus  reaching  France 
twenty -three  days  after  breaking  camp  at  Sevier. 


1 


OBLIQUES  YPRES 


CHAPTER  II. 

Operations  in  Belgium. 

It  was  hard  for  us  to  realize  that  at  last  we  were  in 
France  and  less  than  one  hundred  miles  from  the  front  line. 
Realization  soon  came,  however,  when  we  saw  the  damage 
that  had  been  inflicted  by  aerial  bombs  and  heard  the  hum 
of  numerous  planes  overhead.  The  port  of  Calais  was  one 
of,  if  not  the  largest  base,  for  the  British  forces,  tons  of  sup- 
plies and  thousands  of  troops  passing  through  it  daily. 
Here  the  regiment  remained  a few  days,  checking  equip- 
ment, resting  and  acquiring  enough  knowledge  of  the  French 
language  to  show  the  proprietors  of  the  cafes  that  we  were 
not  very  ardent  prohibitionists.  One  of  the  first  things 
that  we  learned  was  the  French  monetary  system,  but  even 
now  we  don't  believe  that-  five  francs,  sixty  centimes,  was 
ever  equal  to  a good  old  American  dollar.  It  is  truly  re- 
markable how  soon  soldiers  adapt  themselves  to  new  condi- 
tions and  any  environment,  regardless  of  strange  languages 
and  customs. 

The  Regiment  left  Calais  on  May  29th,  arriving  at  Chat 
Cocave,  in  the  Department  of  Calais,  the  same  day,  where 
it  remained  until  May  31st,  when  the  journey  was  started 
that  took  us  a step  nearer  the  scene  of  activities.  After  a 
short  trip  the  Regiment  detrained  at  Audricq,  a small  town 
in  the  Department  of  Calais,  near  which  the  British  had 
established  a training  area  known  as  the  Eperlocques  Train- 
ina  Area.  On  account  of  the  lack  of  a camp  large  enough 
to  accommodate  the  Regiment,  the  battalions  were  billeted 
in  little  villages,  all  within  a few  miles  of  each  other.  The 
First  Battalion  occupied  the  billets  in  the  town  of  Zoufques, 
the  Second,  the  town  of  Recques,  while  Regimental  Head- 
quarters, Headquarters  Company,  and  the  Third  Battalion 
billeted  in  Tournehem. 

It  was  while  occupying  this  area  that  the  men  first  ex- 
perienced a few  of  the  many  discomforts  of  a war-ridden 
country.  Barns  for  living  quarters,  rats  and  the  soldier’s 
pet  aversion,  the  famous  cootie,  appeared  on  the  scene  for 


12 


for  the  first  time.  This  latter  pest  stuck  to  the  Regiment  for 
many  months,  during  which  time  it  demonstrated  its  ability 
as  the  most  rapid  multiplier  in  the  animal  world.  The  rats 
furnished  some  good  sport  as  targets  for  everything  from 
a shoe  to  a rifle,  but  we  did  not  deem  them  a necessity. 

Within  a few  days  after  reaching  thiis  area,  a regular 
training  schedule  was  started,  most  of  the  training  being 
done  by  battalions.  During  this  period  of  training  the 
entire  Division  was  transferred  to  the  2nd  British  Army,  at 
that  time  operating  in  Belgium  in  conjunction  with  the 
remnant  of  the  Belgian  Army.  This  transfer  necessitated  a 
complete  change  in  the  system  of  supplies  and  transporta- 
tion, which  was  brought  about  by  the  untiring  efforts  of 
Captain  Brown,  Regimental  Supply  Officer,  and  his  able 
assistants.  The  entire  Regiment  was  furnished  British 
equipment,  both  ordnance  and  quartermaster,  but  retained 
the  American  uniforms,  packs  and  an  unlimited  optimism 
in  the  final  outcome  of  the  big  fuss.  As  a special  dispen- 
sation, the  American  troops  were  allowed  to  have  coffee 
instead  of  tea. 

For  some  time  rumors  had  been  floating  around  to  the 
effect  that  we  were  to  go  to  the  front  to  take  over  a sector 
from  the  British.  Ever  since  our  arrival  in  this  area,  small 
groups  of  officers  and  non-commissioned  officers  had  been 
visiting  the  front,  where  they  were  given  an  opportunity 
to  observe  trench  warfare  as  practiced  bj7  our  Allies.  Plans 
had  been  mapped  out  for  a forced  march  to  the  front  in 
case  of  an  emergency,  at  which  time  the  Regiment  was  to 
occiipj7  a part  of  the  line  south  of  Cassel.  On  July  2nd  the 
Regiment  began  the  march  that  was  to  last  three  days, 
ending  only  when  it  was  billeted  in  the  forward  area,  within 
range  of  enemy  artillery.  The  three  days’  hike  into  Bel- 
gium will  linger  long  in  the  memories  of  the  men  who 
made  it,  not  so  much  on  account  of  the  fact  that  we  were 
going  under  shell  fire  for  the  first  time,  but  because  of  the 
hardships  endured. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  day  the  Regiment  pitched  camp 
for  the  night  in  an  open  field  near  the  little  town  of 
Rubrouck,  after  a march  of  about  twelve  miles,  during  which 


13 


the  men  carried  extremely  heavy  packs.  On  the  following 
morning  the  march  was  resumed,  halting  for  the  night  in 
the  Herzeele  area,  within  a few  miles  of  the  Belgian  border. 
On  the  morning  of  the  fourth  of  July,  the  frontier  was 
crossed,  this  Regiment  leading  the  Division,  thus  having 
the  honor  of  being  the  first  American  Regiment  to  enter 
the  little  country  of  wreck  and  ruin.  Passing  through  the 
towns  of  Watou  and  St.  Janister  Bienzen,  the  march  to  the 
front  was  continued.  The  last  several  miles  of  this  march 
was  made  without  a halt,  in  the  formation  used  by  troops 
on  the  march  under  shell  fire.  While  this  formation  had 
been  often  practiced  by  the  Regiment,  it  was  the  first  time 
that  real  shell  whistled  over  the  heads  of  the  men.  Finally 
we  straggled  into  Dirty  Bucket  Camp,  where  the  entire 
Regiment  was  billeted,  with  the  exception  of  the  Machine 
Gun  Company,  two  platoons  of  Headquarters  Company 
and  the  Supply  Company. 

The  Regiment  remained  in  Dirty  Bucket  Camp  for  about 
two  weeks,  during  which  time  we  began  to  get  accustomed 
to  the  whine  of  the  shell  and  the  hum  of  the  plane.  This 
camp  is  situated  in  the  famous  Ypres  Salient,  at  that  time 
being  about  four  miles  behind  the  front  line,  the  nearest 
point  of  which  was  directly  in  front  of  the  city  of  Ypres, 
or,  rather,  what  had  been  the  city.  On  the  north  the  line 
was  held  by  the  Belgians,  while  on  the  south  the  British 
were  holding  the  line  in  front  of  Kemmel  Hill,  it  having 
been  taken  by  the  Hun  during  the  spring  drive  of  1918, 
after  some  of  the  bloodiest  fighting  of  the  war.  Kemmel, 
overlooking  the  surrounding  territory  for  miles,  loomed  up 
as  a deadly  menace,  especially  to  the  Salient. 

One  of  the  most  striking  features  connected  with  our 
occupation  of  this  Salient  was  the  contrast  between  the 
morale  and  spirits  of  the  veteran  soldiers  of  the  British  and 
Belgian  Armies  and  that  of  the  green  American  troops. 
The  latter  were  full  of  an  enthusiasm  and  confidence  that 
puzzled  the  men  who  had  been  in  the  war  for  a long  time 
and  who  were  looking  forward  to  a big  attack  with  any- 
thing but  enthusiasm.  Ever  since  the  great  spring  drive  of 
the  Germans  the  British  had  been  expecting  another  one  to 


14 


be  made  on  the  channel  ports,  in  which  event  the  armies  in 
Belgium  would  have  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  drive.  By  the 
time  this  Begiment  reached  the  front  it  was  generally  be- 
lieved that  the  attack  would  be  delivered  during  July.  Per- 
haps if  our  men  had  been  veterans  and  had  been  through 
one  of  these  drives  they  would  not  have  been  so  full  of 
enthusiasm,  but  certainly  they  showed  very  little  concern 
on  account  of  the  rumors.  They  did  not  like  those  that  out- 
lined a retreat  in  case  of  a drive,  as  they  stated  they  had 
not  gone  to  the  front  to  retreat.  So  certain  were  the  British 
that  the  Boche  intended  making  this  drive  that  Colonel 
McCully  was  requested  to  move  his  headquarters  from  Dirty 
Bucket  as  the  British  expected  to  lay  down  a counter  bar- 
rage, in  which  case  that  particular  camp  would  have  been 
subjected  to  heavy  retaliatory  fire.  In  compliance  with  this 
request  the  famous  march  from  this  camp  to  Oostove  Farm 
was  carried  out  on  a dark,  gloomy  night. 

The  Regiment  was  given  a sector  of  the  East  Poperinghe 
Trench  System,  generally  known  as  the  “Blue  Line,”  to  be 
occupied  in  case  of  the  attack.  Here  the  different  battalions 
were  assigned  their  respective  portions  of  the  sector,  the 
men  going  into  the  trenches  and  remaining  there  long 
enough  to  familiarize  themselves  with  the  sector.  The 
Regimental  sector,  about  two  thousand  yards  in  length, 
joined  that  of  the  Belgians  on  the  left  and  the  llTth's  on 
the  right.  This  system  was  strongly  fortified  by  barbed 
wire,  concrete  dugouts  and  had  a well  defined  field  of  fire, 
covering  the  main  road  from  Poperinghe  to  Elverdinghe. 
Emplacements  were  dug  for  the  auxiliary  weapons  and 
plans  were  worked  out  for  the  handling  of  supplies  and 
ammunition. 

Previous  to  occupying  this  system,  the  Regiment  had 
been  given  a tour  of  duty  in  the  front  line  trenches  in  front 
of  Ypres.  The  battalions  and  auxiliary  units  were  sent 
forward,  where  they  relieved  some  of  the  companies  of  the 
49th  British  Division.  The  battalions  took  over  in  rotation, 
placing  two  companies  in  the  front  line  in  cooperation  with 
the  remaining  British  units.  Each  battalion  occupied  the 
forward  area  for  eight  days.  It  was  so  quiet  on  this  sector 


15 


that  it  was  hard  to  realize  that  some  of  the  bloodiest  battles 
of  the  war  had  been  fought  there  in  the  past.  Such  names 
as  Hell  Fire  Corner,  Shrapnel  Corner  and  Menin  Gate  have 
become  famous  throughout  the  world.  It  was  here  that  the 
Canadians  made  their  famous  stand  against  the  first  gas 
attack. 

On  August  16th  the  entire  Regiment  was  assembled  at 
School  Camp,  near  St.  Janister  Bienzen,  where  it  was  held 
in  support  while  the  60th  Brigade  took  over  the  front  line 
on  what  was  known  as  the  Canal  Sector,  from  the  33rd 
British  Division.  This  sector  was  dominated  by  Kemmel 
Hill,  making  it  more  dangerous  than  the  one  the  Begiment 
had  occupied.  During  the  rest  of  August  the  Regiment 
continued  to  occupy  this  camp,  devoting  most  of  its  time 
to  drills  and  inspections.  For  amusement  the  men  played 
baseball,  but  frequently  the  games  were  interrupted  by 
fragments  of  shells  which  fell  all  around  the.  diamond,  as 
the  enemy  shelled  our  observation  balloons  overhead. 

On  August  8th  we  were  so  unfortunate  as  to  temporarily 
lose  Colonel  MeCully,  our  Commanding  Officer,  who  had 
been  with  the  Regiment  for  many  years.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Colonel  Orin  R.  Wolfe.  It  is  probably  unwise  to  criti- 
cize the  actions  of  those  high  in  authority,  as  they  are  sup- 
posed to  know  what  is  best,  but,  in  the  opinion  of  those  who 
were  forced  to  serve  under  Colonel  Wolfe,  somebody  blund- 
ered in  sending  him  to  us.  He  may  have  been  a gallant  and 
able  soldier,  but  if  the  opinion  of  the  men  of  his  command 
is  worth  anything,  he  was  a complete  failure  as  a Com- 
manding Officer.  His  treatment  of  those  under  him  did  not 
tend  to  inculcate  any  spirit  of  loyalty  or  love  among  them 
but  did  make  him  feared  and  disliked  throughout  the  entire 
Regiment.  Having  stated  that  he  would  accept  no  excuses 
for  anything,  he  lived  up  to  that  doctrine  on  all  occasions. 

The  great  Boche  drive  had  failed  to  materialize,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  fierce  fighting  was  going  on  further  south, 
thereby  relieving  the  tension  under  which  we  had  lived 
ever  since  arriving  in  Belgium.  Articles  published  in  news- 
papers since  the  signing  of  the  armtistice  stated  that  evi- 
dence had  been  found  showing  that  the  enemy  had  massed 


16 


seventeen  divisions  behind  Kemmel  Hill  preparatory  to 
launching  a big  drive  on  this  part  of  the  line  but  that  the 
counter  drives  of  the  Allies  had  forced  him  to  abandon  his 
plan.  So,  perhaps,  all  the  work  done  by  this  Regiment  in 
Belgium  was  not  in  vain,  as  one  of  the  lessons  all  soldiers 
learn  from  experience  is  the  necessity  of  preparedness.  The 
British  had  made  elaborate  preparations  in  the  Salient, 
having  placed  numerous  silent  batteries  all  through  it. 
These  batetries  were  so  skilfully  camouflaged  that  it  was 
possible  to  walk  within  a few  feet  of  them  without  being 
able  to  detect  their  locations. 

In  accordance  with  the  custom,  details  were  sent  into  the 
front  line  on  the  night  of  August  29th,  to  make  the  neces- 
sary arrangements  for  relieving  the  119th  Infantry  on  the 
following  night.  The  Regiment,  however,  was  destined  to 
escape  this  tour  of  trench  duty,  as  other  plans  had  been 
made,  of  which  we  were  entirely  ignorant,  in  which  we  were 
to  play  a more  important  part  than  merely  holding  a trench 
system.  So,  instead  of  taking  over  the  front  line,  the  Regi- 
ment remained  in  reserve  while  the  60th  Brigade  delivered 
its  successful  attack  on  Vormezeele  on  September  1st.  Great 
was  the  speculation  as  to  cause  for  the  sudden  change  of 
plans  but  there  was  no  evidence  of  great  disappointment  on 
account  of  the  failure  to  occupy  the  line.  On  September 
6th  the  Regiment  marched  to  Proven,  where  it  entrained  at 
once.  Thus  our  experience  in  Belgium  ended  after  a stay 
of  two  months,  during  which  time  we  had  learned  some- 
thing of  actual  conditions  on  the  front  and  had  been  bit- 
terly disillusioned  in  more  ways  than  one. 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  Hindexburg  Line. 

Having  left  Belgium,  the  Regiment  detrained,  after  a 
trip  of  several  hours,  near  Valhoun,  in  the  St.  Pol  Area, 
north  of  Amiens.  Here  the  battalions  were  distributed 
throughout  some  small  villages,  the  First  billeting  in  Bours, 
the  Second  in  Marest  and  the  Third  in  Pressey.  Headquar- 
ters Company  and  the  Machine  Gun  Company  accompanied 
Regimental  Headquarters  to  Valhoun.  This  area  was  some 
distance  behind  the  lines,  the  sector  in  front  of  it  having- 
moved  eastward  at  a rapid  rate  as  a result  of  the  drive  of 
the  Third  and  Fourth  British  Armies. 

A period  of  training  was  started  immediately,  in  which 
various  problems  of  attack  and  consolidation  were  prac- 
ticed. Great  stress  was  placed  on  the  importance  of  lia- 
ison between  all  units.  For  the  first  time  we  saw  the  famous 
tanks  at  work.  It  was  very  evident  that  the  Regiment  was 
being  specially  trained  for  some  important  duty  as  the 
maneuvers  were  not  the  kind  that  would  have  helped  in 
stationary  trench  warfare.  This  training  soon  came  to  an 
end,  however,  and  on  the  morning  of  September  18th  a 
move  toward  another  part  of  the  front  was  started.  Upon 
reaching  this  part  of  it  several  days  later,  it  soon  became 
apparent  that  there  were  some  portions  of  the  front  that 
made  others  seem  like  rest  camps  and  the  men  soon  realized 
that  they  were  up  against  the  real  thing  this  time. 

By  the  night  of  the  18th  the  Regiment  had  pitched  camp 
at  Tutencourt,  near  the  ruins  of  Albert.  Here  three  days 
were  spent  in  performing  the  usual  duties  incident  to  camp 
life  in  France.  On  the  22nd,  the  journey  was  resumed  that 
was  to  carry  us  to  the  front.  This  part  of  the  trip  was 
made  in  trucks  or  lorries,  as  we  had  learned  to  call  them 
from  association  with  the  British.  Part  of  the  journey  car- 
ried us  through  the  devastated  areas  of  the  old  Somme  bat- 
tlefield, where  utter  ruin  prevailed. 

It  is  impossible  to  conceive  of  a greater  destruction  than 
had  been  wrought  in  this  area ; practically  the  only  objects 


18 


seen  were  ruined  villages,  abandoned  trenches,  shell  holes 
and  rusty  barbed  wire. 

After  a long,  tiresome  ride  through  this  area  the  Regi- 
ment debussed  near  the  village  of  Tincourt,  during  the  early 
morning  of  September  23rd.  Camp  was  pitched  in  a wood 
where  advantage  was  taken  of  the  shelters  that  had  been 
built  by  the  enemy  and  abandoned  a few  days  before  in  his 
hasty  retreat  to  the  main  defenses  of  the  Ilindenburg  Line. 
About  six  miles  in  front  of  Tincourt,  the  Australians  were 
steadily  driving  the  Hun  before  them,  having  advanced  at 
this  time  to  the  outpost  lines  in  front  of  the  town  of  Belli- 
court. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  the  march  into  the 
line  was  started,  this  Regiment  having  been  assigned  the 
portion  of  the  line  in  front  of  Bellicourt.  It  was  found 
necessary  to  halt  until  darkness  would  conceal  the  actual 
entry  into  the  lines,  the  march  being  resumed  at  dark  and 
the  actual  work  of  “taking  over”  starting  about  eight  o'clock. 
While  there  was  considerable  artillery  action  during  this 
march,  the  Regiment  was  very  fortunate  as  it  did  not  suffer 
many  casualties.  One  thing  experience  had  taught  us  was 
that  the  actual  entry  into  the  line  usually  resulted  in  a good 
many  castualties  as  the  roads  were  heavily  shelled  at  all 
times. 

The  sector  was  between  3,500  and  4,000  yards  in  length, 
facing  Bellicourt  and  the  St.  Quentin  Canal  and  Tunnel. 
The  line  was  being  held  by  the  2nd  and  3rd  Brigades  of  the 
1st  Australian  Division.  These  brigades  had  suffered  such 
heavy  casualties  during  their  occupancy  of  this  sector  that 
it  was  possible  for  a single  company  of  this  Regiment  to 
relieve  an  entire  battalion  of  Australians.  The  relief  was 
made  under  great  difficulties,  especially  due  to  the  con- 
tinuous and  heavy  shell  fire  of  the  enemy.  During  this 
operation  we  sustained  the  first  casualties  of  importance 
since  entering  France.  Among  those  killed  at  this  time  was 
Captain  Jones  of  L Company,  who  was  the  first  officer  of 
the  Regiment  killed  in  action. 

The  1st  Battalion,  under  command  of  Major  Mahon,  was 
assigned  the  left  half  of  the  sector,  while  the  3rd  Battalion. 


19 


Major  Howell  commanding,  took  up  its  position  in  the  right 
half.  The  2nd  Battalion,  under  command  of  Captain 
McFadden,  moved  up  in  close  support  to  the  other  two.  On 
the  left  of  the  Regimental  sector  the  line  was  held  by  the 
27th  American  Division;  on  the  right  by  a British  Division. 
The  success  with  which  the  operation  of  relief  was  carried 
out  was  due  to  the  co-operation  and  assistance  of  the  Aus- 
tralians whom  we  relieved. 

The  writer  would  like  to  digress  here  long  enough  to  at- 
tempt to  pay  a tribute  to  the  Australians,  but  their  work 
throughout  the  entire  war  is  so  well  known  that  it  would  be 
useless.  He  would  like,  however,  to  mention  the  warm 
friendship  that  existed  from  the  first  meeting  between  these 
Anzacs  and  the  men  of  our  Regiment.  These  veterans  from 
a distant  continent  seemed  to  take  pleasure  in  affording  us 
every  possible  assistance,  both  their  officers  and  men  giving 
us  the  benefit  of  their  valuable  experiences  gained  during 
years  of  constant  fighting.  While  we  came  into  contact 
with  troops  from  all  over  the  world  during  our  experiences 
in  Europe,  there  is  no  doubt  that  we  entertained  a warmer 
feeling  of  friendship  and  admiration  for  the  Australians 
than  those  of  any  other  nation.  Certainly  they  were  more 
like  us  than  any  other  troops  with  the  possible  exception  of 
the  Canadians,  with  whom  we  never  were  brigaded. 

Having  completed  the  relief,  Regimental  Headquarters 
was  established  at  Hickson’s  Quarry  on  the  24th.  Head- 
quarters Company  having  reported  here,  split  up  into  its 
various  specialties,  the  Signal  Platoon  taking  charge  of  the 
various  signal  stations  while  the  Stokes  Mortar  Platoon 
placed  five  mortars  in  the  line.  The  personnel  of  the  One 
Pound  Cannon  and  Pioneer  Platoons  suffered  such  severe 
losses  from  a gas  attack  that  it  was  not  possible  for  them 
to  accomplish  any  results  with  the  remnants  that  survived. 
The  Quarry  was  subjected  to  intense  shell  fire,  including  a 
continuous  use  of  gas  shells  that  made  it  an  extmerely  un- 
healthy spot.  On  the  night  of  the  24th,  the  Machine  Gun 
Company  relieved  the  Australian  machine  gun  units  in  the 
line,  thus  completing  the  relief,  leaving  the  118th  in  sole 
possession  of  a front  line  sector  for  the  first  time  in  the 
history  of  the  Regiment. 


20 


Most  of  the  time  between  the  night  of  the  23rd  and  the 
morning  of  the  25th  was  spent  in  improving  the  shelter  and 
strengthening  the  defenses.  This  work  was  done  under 
difficulties  as  the  enemy  kept  up  an  harrassing  fire  from  both 
artillery  and  machine  guns.  Considering  the  intensity  and 
severity,  of  this  fire,  our  losses  were  not  very  excessive  dur- 
ing that  time.  From  the  effectiveness  of  the  Hun  artillery 
it  was  evident  that  this  locality  was  very  familiar  to  his 
gunners.  This  constant  activity,  however,  did  not  seem  to 
have  much  effect  on  the  morale  of  the  men,  who  carried 
out  their  duties  as  if  this  was  no  new  proceeding  to  them. 
Carrying  parties  performed  their  duties  with  credit  and  the 
rations  were  received  promptly  as  a general  rule.  As  some 
of  the  officers  were  absent  attending  schools  of  instruction, 
it  was  necessary  to  use  non-commissioned  officers  as  platoon 
leaders.  As  was  the  case  during  most  of  the  fighting,  these 
men  showed  themselves  amply  qualified  to  handle  any  sit- 
uation. 

On  the  morning  cf  the  25th,  the  enemy  became  even  more 
active,  delivering  several  attacks  of  a local  nature.  An 
attack  on  K Company  was  repulsed  through  the  efficient  aid 
of  the  Australian  artillery  supporting  the  Regiment.  It 
was  impossible  to  determine  the  nature  or  magnitude  of  this 
attack,  but  it  was  generally  believed  to  have  been  an  attempt 
to  push  out  an  outpost  line  of  machine  guns.  Whatever 
the  object  might  have  been,  the  result  of  the  attack  was  a 
complete  failure  as  K Company  held  to  its  ground.  During 
the  attack  this  company  lost  three  men  killed  and  seventeen 
wounded  but  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  the  enemy 
had  suffered  greater  losses  besides  failing  in  his  attempt. 
The  rest  of  the  day  was  comparatively  quiet,  although 
machine  guns  could  be  heard  popping  off  on  all  sides  and 
the  artillery  of  both  sides  made  things  lively. 

On  this  date  the  Regiment  suffered  a severe  loss  when 
Major  Mahon  was  severely  wounded  by  shell  fragments. 
As  Commanding  Officer  of  the  1st  Battalion  he  had  served 
with  great  honor  and  distinction.  During  his  long  and 
faithful  service  in  the  Regiment  he  had  earned  the  love 
and  respect  of  officers  and  men  who  had  served  under  him. 


21 


It  is  indeed  a pleasure  to  hear  that  his  wounds  have  healed 
to  such  an  extent  that  he  is  out  of  danger.  Upon  his  evacu- 
ation, command  of  the  Battalion  passed  to  Captain  Ligon 
of  B Company,  another  officer  who  had  served  in  the  Regi- 
ment for  many  jrears  and  who  was  afterwards  awarded  the 
Distinguished  Service  Cross  for  gallantry  in  action. 

Faced  by  the  so-called  impregnable  Hindenburg  Line,  the 
30th  Division  was  to  make  an  attack  upon  it  and  the  duty  of 
straightening  the  line  preparatory  to  the  attack  fell  to  the 
lot  of  the  118th.  It  was  necessary  to  make  an  attack  in  order 
to  advance  the  line  several  hundred  jrards  on  a frontage  of 
twelve  hundred  yards.  This  was  a necessary  action  of  im- 
portance, as  the  success  of  the  future  attack  of  the  Division 
depended  upon  the  straightening  of  this  part  of  the  line. 
In  order  that  the  reader  may  get  an  idea  of  the  strength  of 
the  enemy  position  in  front  of  this  sector,  the  following 
extracts  from  authoritative  sources  may  be  of  interest. 

The  official  report  of  the  operations  of  the  30th  Division 
gives  the  following  description  of  the  enemy's  position : 

“The  position  occupied  by  the  enemy  in  front  of  the  30th 
Division  was  not  only  one  of  great  strength  but  possessed 
many  unique  features.  Begun  in  1914  and  improved  further 
in  more  recent  periods,  it  formed  one  of  the  strongest  po- 
sitions of  the  famous  Hindenburg  System.  In  addition  to 
the  several  heavy  belts  of  wire  and  a very  complete  trench 
system,  skilful  advantage  had  been  taken  of  the  great  nat- 
ural obstacle  of  the  St.  Quentin  Canal,  to  make  this  position 
as  nearly  impregnable  as  was  humanly  possible.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  canal  and  tunnel  this  portion  of  the  line  included 
a system  of  trenches,  generally  three  interlocked  by  com- 
munication and  approach  trenches  placed  at  frequent  in- 
tervals. Wide  belts  of  strong  German  wire  protected  the 
entire  system.  Forward  belts  were  frequently  in  the  form 
of  deep  triangles  50  to  150  yards  in  depth.  It  is  believed 
that  there  are  few  positions  as  well  adapted  for  machine 
gun  defense  as  the  sector  just  described. 

The  report  of  the  105th  Engineers  who  surveyed  this 
line  at  a later  date  contains  the  following  statements: 


22 


“Strongly  built  barbed  wire  entanglements  of  the  double 
apron  type  had  been  erected  in  connection  with  the  trench 
system.  This  wiring  had  well  withstood  the  powerful  ar- 
tillery fire  directed  against  it.  A total  of  twenty-seven 
observation  posts  are  about  evenly  distributed  along  this 
line.” 

In  compliance  with  orders,  the  1st  and  3rd  Battalions 
delivered  the  attack  on  the  night  of  September  26th,  sup- 
ported by  the  Machine  Gun  Company.  The  attack  was  a 
frontal  one,  thus  exposing  the  Battalions  to  machine  gun 
fire  from  concealed  outposts.  After  an  intense  artillery 
barrage  lasting  ten  minutes  the  Battalions  moved  forward 
for  a distance  of  five  hundred  yards  on  a twelve  hundred 
yard  front.  This  operation,  the  first  of  its  kind  ever  un- 
dertaken by  the  Regiment,  terminated  in  a complete  suc- 
cess. Within  less  than  two  hours,  the  3rd  Battalion  reported 
all  objectives  taken  and  the  line  consolidated.  The  1st 
Battalion,  on  the  left,  however,  experienced  more  difficulty 
on  account  of  an  enfilading  machine  gun  fire  from  the  left, 
D Company  in  particular  suffering  heavily.  In  spite  of  the 
strong  opposition,  this  Battalion  gained  and  held  its  ob- 
jectives. It  is  to  this  attack  we  refer  when  we  say  that  the 
118th  Infantry  was  the  first  American  regiment  to  make 
an  attack  against  the  Hindenburg  Line.  The  Regiment 
does  not  claim  the  honor  of  having  broken  through  the 
main  system  of  defense,  but  it  does  claim  to  have  been  the 
first  Regiment  to  deliver  a successful  attack  against  the 
outpost  line  of  the  Hindenburg  System. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th  D Company  was  ordered  to 
attack  in  conjunction  with  the  27th  American  Division  on 
its  left,  in  order  that  the  entire  Corps  front  might  be 
straightened.  After  an  advance  by  this  company  to  Mala- 
bo ff  Woods  it  was  necessary  to  fall  back  a short  distance  on 
account  of  the  failure  of  the  27th  Division  to  advance. 
During  the  day  several  attacks  were  made  on  this  Com- 
pany, all  of  which  were  repulsed  by  the  use  of  grenades  and 
automatic  rifles.  While  leading  his  platoon  in  repelling 
one  of  these  attacks,  Lieutenant  Frampton  was  killed,  re- 
ceiving several  wounds  in  his  chest  from  machine  gun  bul- 


28 


lets.  B Company  was  also  subjected  to  several  attacks  but 
successfully  repulsed  them.  It  was  found  necessary  to  re- 
inforce these  companies  on  account  of  an  exposed  flank, 
Companies  E and  F being  ordered  up  to  perform  this  duty. 
The  3rd  Battalion  on  the  right  had  been  experiencing  hard 
fighting  all  during  the  day  but  had  been  able  to  hold  all  of 
its  objectives. 

The  00th  Brigade  relieved  this  Regiment  in  the  front 
line  during  the  night  of  the  27th,  completing  the  relief 
about  2 a.  m.,  the  28th.  As  soon  as  the  relief  was  com- 
pleted the  entire  Regiment  moved  back  to  Roisel,  where 
the  day  was  spent  in  reorganization  and  a checking  up  of 
the  losses  in  men  and  equipment.  The  continued  occupancy 
for  four  days  and  five  nights  of  the  front  line  had  naturally 
occasioned  heavy  casualties,  the  1st  Battalion  having  suf- 
fered the  greatest  losses  on  account  of  the  exposed  left  flank. 
The  behavior  of  the  men  in  the  face  of  the  veteran  troops 
of  the  enemy  had  been  all  that  could  have  been  expected  of 
them.  As  some  writer  has  said  in  referring  to  the  Hinden- 
burg  Line:  “To  the  Germans  it  means  security,  a sure  de- 
fense, an  opportunity  to  prepare  for  new  offensives.”  It 
is  therefore  with  pride  that  the  118th  Infantry  claims  the 
honor  of  having  been  the  first  American  Regiment  to  face 
the  Hun  in  his  position  of  security  and  to  the  fact  that  this 
Regiment  not  only  repulsed  all  attacks  delivered  against  it, 
but  made  a substantial  advance  in  the  face  of  machine  gun 
opposition  from  this  so-called  impregnable  system. 

The  activities  of  the  Regiment,  however,  did  not  cease 
with  the  relief  as  the  Regiment  was  placed  in  Divisional 
reserve,  which  meant  that  it  was  to  be  held  in  readiness 
for  any  emergency  that  might  arise.  On  the  morning  of 
the  29th,  when  the  30th  and  27th  Divisions  of  the  American 
Army  and  units  of  the  British  Army  delivered  the  never 
to  be  forgotten  attack  on  the  main  system  of  the  Hinden- 
burg  Line,  this  Regiment,  resting  from  its  labors  of  the  pre- 
ceding week,  was  called  upon  to  furnish  men  as  stretcher 
bearers  and  to  assist  in  handling  prisoners  and  captured 
material. 

The  result  of  the  attack  of  the  30th  Division  on  the  29th 
of  September  is  too  well  known  to  be  dwelt  on  at  length  in 


24 


this  record.  The  attack,  begun  at  dawn,  did  not  end  until 
all  objectives  had  been  taken  and  resulted  in  the  capture 
of  a large  number  of  prisoners  and  material.  The  feat  of 
the  two  American  Divisions,  the  30th  and  27th,  will  ever 
live  as  one  of  the  greatest  achievements  of  American  troops. 
The  official  correspondent  of  the  Australian  forces  in 
France,  in  describing  the  Americans’  assault,  praises  the 
troops  in  the  following  words: 

“Some  day,  when  the  full  story  of  this  battle  can  be  told, 
the  American  j^eople  will  thrill  with  pride  in  these  mag- 
nificent troops  upon  whom  a tremendous  task  fell.  They 
were  faced  by  the  most  formidable  task  that  could  be  im- 
posed upon  them,  the  breaking  of  two  double  systems  of 
the  greatest  defense  line  the  Germans  ever  constructed.  On 
the  left  of  their  attack  there  was  some  uncertainty  regard- 
ing the  situation  and  this  increased  the  difficulty  of  their 
work;  yet  these  troops,  working  under  the  enthusiasm  of 
their  high  ideal,  carried  through  their  assaults,  penetrated 
deeper  even  than  had  been  intended,  and  delivered  a blow 
which  attracted  the  greatest  part  of  the  enmy’s  resistance. 
Beyond  all  question,  they  made  it  possible  to  break  the  de- 
fensive line  in  a position  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the 
Allied  cause.” 

On  the  night  of  the  29th,  the  2nd  Battalion  was  ordered 
up  to  reinforce  and  protect  the  flank  of  the  119th  Infantry, 
then  occupying  the  LaCatelet-K auroy  Line.  The  march 
into  the  lines  was  made  under  great  difficulties,  heavy  rain, 
darkness  and  concentrated  shell  fire  making  it  a fearful 
task.  The  guide  was  unable  to  lead  the  Battalion  to  the 
correct  position,  necessitating  a long  halt  in  the  rain. 
Finally,  matters  were  straightened  out  and  the  Battalion 
took  up  a position  on  the  flank  of  the  119th  Infantry, 
where  it  remained  until  the  Division  was  relieved.  On 
the  morning  of  the  30th  F Company  took  part  in  an  offen- 
sive delivered  by  the  Australians  who  had  “leap  frogged" 
through  the  Division.  This  attack  was  a success.  F Com- 
pany advancing  about  800  yards  in  an  easterly  direction. 
The  Machine  Gun  Company,  having  been  ordered  forward 
on  the  night  of  the  29th,  reported  to  the  Commanding 


25 


General  of  the  60th  Brigade,  who  held  this  company  at 
Brigade  Headquarters  in  Brigade  reserve,  there  being  no 
need  of  additional  machine  gun  units  in  the  front  line. 

The  following  extracts  from  the  official  report  of  General 
Tyson,  Commanding  General  of  the  59th  Brigade,  sum- 
marizes the  part  played  by  the  118th  Infantry  in  the  oper- 
ations against  the  Hindenburg  Line: 

“On  Monday  night,  September  23rd,  the  118th  Infantry 
was  directed  to  take  over  the  frontage  held  by  the  Aus- 
tralian Division,  which,  as  stated  above,  amounted  to  3,500 
to  4,000  yards.  This  was  done,  and  this  Regiment  manned 
the  trenches  and  held  the  front  line  from  Monday  night  to 
the  night  of  the  27th-28th.  The  60th  Brigade  relieved  the 
118th  on  Friday  night,  about  3:30  a.  m.,  the  27th  and  28th 
of  September,  and  took  charge  of  the  front  line.  The  118th 
Infantry  was  then  placed  as  Divisional  reserve.  The  118th 
Infantry  had  done  excellent  work  in  the  line  during  the 
four  days  it  was  holding  the  line,  in  which  time  it  had  to 
withstand  shell  fire  and  raids  from  the  enemy  which  it 
successfully  resisted,  and  had  been  called  upon  to  take  a 
certain  amount  of  ground  in  order  to  straighten  out  the 
line,  and  this  had  been  successfully  done,  and  that,  too, 
after  the  left  flank  of  the  118th  Infantry  had  been  exposed 
for  something  like  1,000  yards  by  reason  of  the  repulse  of 
the  27th  Division  in  its  effort  to  take  the  ground  to  the  left 
of  the  118th.  This  Regiment  suffered  a great  many  cas- 
ualties in  both  officers  and  men  during  these  four  days  in 
which  it  held  the  trenches.” 

After  describing  the  attack  of  the  morning  of  the  29th, 
the  report  continues  as  follows:  “The  2nd  Battalion  of 

the  118th  Infantry  was  directed  to  reinforce  the  119th  In- 
fantry also  on  the  same  afternoon  and  evening,  and  it  went 
into  the  line  and  manned  the  trenches  in  the  LaCatelet- 
Nauroy  system  of  trenches  during  the  night  of  the  29th 
of  September  and  suffered  a number  of  casualties  and  aided 
materially  in  holding  and  defending  the  line  from  German 
attack.  I think  the  officers  and  men  of  the  59th  Brigade 
deserve  the  highest  degree  of  credit  and  commendation 
for  the  very  important  and  meritorious  part  they  took  in 


26 


this  great  battle  and  in  the  preparations  leading  up  to  it 
and  subsequently  in  the  holding  of  the  line.” 

The  Regiment  remained  near  Hargieourt  as  Divisional 
reserve  until  the  morning  of  October  2nd,  the  2nd  Battalion 
having  moved  back  to  the  Quarry  Ravine  after  its  relief  in 
the  front  line.  The  men  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity 
afforded  to  examine  the  famous  St.  Quentin  Tunnel  and 
Canal,  captured  by  the  Division  on  the  morning  of  the 
29th  of  September.  This  tunnel  was  constructed  bj7 
Napoleon  Bonaparte,  having  been  completed  in  1810  after 
eight  years  of  work.  It  was  during  an  examination  of  the 
tunnel  that  the  discovery  was  made  of  what  most  of  us 
believed  to  be  a melting  pot  in  which  the  Germans  boiled 
the  dead  soldiers.  This  belief  was  sustained  by  the  fact 
that  a human  head  was  found  in  one  of  the  pots,  as  appears 
from  the  official  report  of  the  survey  party  of  the  105th 
Engineers,  here  copied  in  part.  The  Intelligence  Depart- 
ment, however,  after  an  examination,  reported  that  a shell 
had  exploded  in  the  room,  killing  the  Germans  and  throw- 
ing the  head  of  one  in  the  pot.  The  report  of  the  Engi- 
neers contains  the  following  in  reference  to  this  establish- 
ment, whatever  its  nature : 

“On  entering  the  room,  two  pairs  of  what  appeared  to 
be  ordinary  wagon  Avheels,  set  about  ten  feet-  apart,  were 
found.  Connecting  the  axles  of  the  two  pairs  of  wheels 
were  two  long  poles;  swung  between  the  poles  was  ordinary 
chicken  or  rabbit  wire.  At  the  farther  end  of  this  cradle 
were  several  iron  pots  set  flush  to  the  top  brick  masonry, 
and  the  tops  about  three  feet  above  the  floor.  There  were 
flues  under  the  pots  for  fires.  There  were  six  dead  Ger- 
mans piled  beside  the  pots  and  one  of  the  pots  contained  a 
German’s  head  floating  in  some  liquid.  The  German  had 
short  clipped  red  hair.  The  next  pot  was  filled  with  liquid 
and  two  cans  containing  what  appeared  to  be  dirty  white 
grease  (though  not  as  solid  as  lard)  stood  beside  the  pot. 
The  room  was  almost  in  complete  darkness,  the  light  en- 
tering through  a small  hole  in  the  ceiling  of  the  room.  We 
did  not  examine  the  room  in  detail  but  we  did  hold  a candle 
within  a few  inches  of  the  German’s  head  in  the  pot  and 
rumpled  his  hair  with  a stick.” 


27 


Having  performed  all  of  the  duties  assigned  it,  the  Regi- 
ment moved  back  about  ten  miles  to  LeMesnil,  near  Perrone, 
on  October  2nd.  The  strenuous  service  gone  through  with 
in  the  preceding  ten  days  necessitated  a rest  and  a reorgan- 
ization. During  the  tour  of  duty  in  the  front  line  the  cas- 
ualties had  been  severe,  the  strain  terrific,  and  there  was 
no  doubt  in  the  minds  of  all  of  us  that  we  had  earned  a 
good,  long  rest.  Whatever  hopes  we  may  have  entertained 
were  short-lived,  however,  as  October  5th  found  us  again 
on  the  move  to  the  front,  after  being  out  of  the  lines  three 
days. 

While  every  man  in  the  Regiment  is  justly  proud  of  the 
record  it  made  in  September,  it  is  to  the  October  operations 
that  we  can  always  refer  to  as  the  supreme  achievements  of 
what  we  believe  to  have  been  the  best  infantry  Regiment 
in  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces.  It  was  during 
October  that  the  men  and  officers  stood  the  test  of  semi-open 
warfare  with  an  endurance  and  courage  that  gave  them 
the  right  to  class  the  regiment  as  one  of  the  best  fighting 
units  in  the  American  Army.  So  the  author  will  leave  the 
subject  of  the  operations  against  the  Hindenburg  Line  to 
take  up  what  we  will  call  the  October  fighting. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
October  Operations. 


On  October  5th,  the  Regiment  moved  by  lorries  from 
LeMesnil  to  Templeaux,  a distance  of  about  thirty  miles, 
allowing  for  the  round  about  way  in  which  the  trip  was 
made.  Halting  here,  dinner  was  eaten,  and  after  a short 
rest  the  march  was  started,  the  first  halt  being  made  after 
several  miles  had  been  covered.  Having  halted  to  wait  for 
darkness,  advantage  was  taken  of  the  shelter  afforded  by 
the  trenches  southwest  of  Nauroy.  As  soon  as  darkness  set 
in,  the  march  was  resumed,  the  entire  Regiment  taking 
up  a column  of  file  along  the  road.  Since  the  relief  of  the 
bOth  Division,  five  daj^s  before,  the  Australians  had  made 
an  advance  of  several  miles,  driving  the  enemy  with  such 
rapidity  that  they  had  not  been  able  to  remove  the  dead. 
On  this  march  the  road  was  congested  by  artillery  and 
supplies  moving  up.  The  road  was  subjected  to  very  effec- 
tive artillery  fire  and  bombing  from  overhead  planes,  re- 
sulting in  numerous  casualties  to  the  Regiment;  Head- 
quarters Company  in  particular  suffering  to  such  an  extent 
that  not  a single  platoon  entered  the  lines  with  over  half 
of  the  original  strength. 

Arriving  at  Australian  Brigade  Headquarters,  the  def- 
ferent  battalions  separated  and  were  guided  into  the  lines. 
Regimental  Headquarters  was  established  in  a deep  dugout 
near  the  town  of  Joncourt.  Relieving  the  21st  and  22nd 
Infantry  Battalions  and  the  2nd  Pioneer  Battalion  of  the 
6th  Brigade,  Australian  Division,  this  Regiment  again 
found  itself  in  sole  possession  of  a front  line  sector.  The 
line  at  this  time  formed  a sharp  salient  around  the  out- 
skirts of  the  town  of  Montbrehain.  So  deep  was  this 
salient  that  the  Hun  fired  on  us  from  east,  south  and  north, 
thus  making  it  one  of  the  most  unhealthy  positions  imagin- 
able. In  addition  to  the  shell  fire,  there  existed  the  strong 
probability  of  a counter  attack  from  any  or  all  three  direc- 
tions. Sharp  fighting  had  been  in  progress  all  the  after- 
noon of  the  oth.  On  account  of  the  failure  of  a British 


•29 


Division  on  the  right  to  advance,  it  was  necessary  to  form 
a defensive  flank,  increasing  the  normal  frontage  to  a total 
frontage  of  over  6,000  yards. 

Upon  the  arrival  in  the  line  it  was  learned  that  the  ad- 
vance party,  which  had  left  Le  Mesnil  on  the  morning  of 
the  oth,  had  met  with  misfortune  before  reaching  the  line. 
A shell  exploded  directly  under  the  lorry  carrying  the 
party,  fatally  wounding  Lieutenant  Earl  of  M Company 
and  wounding  Major  Howell.  Lieutenants  Ruhl,  Anderson, 
Howard  and  D.  T.  Smith.  Lieutenant  G.  F.  Read,  another 
member  of  the  advance  party,  had  reached  the  lines,  but 
had  been  killed  in  the  afternoon  while  reconnoitering  the 
line.  Upon  the  evacuation  of  Major  Howell,  command  of 
the  3rd  Battalion  passed  to  Captain  Gillespie  of  I Com- 
pany, who  was  later  promoted  for  his  gallant  and  efficient 
service  in  action.  It  is  a fact  worth  mentioning  that  none 
of  the  Battalions  were  commanded  by  majors  during  the 
October  fighting,  Captains  Ligon,  McFadden  and  Gillespie 
commanding  the  1st,  2nd  and  3rd  Battalions,  respectively. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  night  of  the  oth  and  the 
6th,  the  line  remained  stationary,  the  men  spending  a great 
deal  of  the  time  in  strengthening  the  defenses.  As  the  line 
had  been  established  as  late  as  the  5th.  by  the  Australians, 
it  could  not  be  called  a well  defined  trench  system.  Lieu- 
tenant R.  E.  Farmer  of  K Company  was  killed  in  the  front 
line  on  the  6th.  The  enemy  fired  a great  many  gas  shells 
during  this  time,  inflicting  numerous  casualties.  First  aid 
posts  were  established  in  Swiss  Cottage  near  Regimental 
Headquarters.  On  the  night  of  October  6th,  this  Regiment 
was  occupying  a part  of  the  sector,  about  1,000  yards  in  ad- 
vance of  that  held  by  the  117th  on  the  left  and  considerably 
in  advance  of  that  held  by  the  Buffs  of  the  British  Army 
on  the  right.  This,  of  course,  made  the  position  one  of 
extreme  danger  in  that  the  sector  was  not  only  exposed  to 
fire  from  three  directions  but  was  confronted  with  the  prob- 
ability of  a counter  attack. 

In  co-operation  with  the  117th  Infantry,  this  Regiment 
attacked  on  the  morning  of  the  7th  for  the  purpose  of 
straightening  and  shortening  the  line.  The  attack  was 


30 


preceded  by  a creeping  barrage  from  the  artillery  and  re- 
sulted in  an  advance  of  1,100  yards  on  a seven  hundred  yard 
front.  At  the  completion  of  this  attack,  the  line  held  by 
the  118th  joined  that  of  the  tilth’s  on  the  left.  Two  com- 
panies of  the  2nd  Battalion  were  ordered  to  go  to  the  assist- 
ance of  the  117th,  the  report  stating  that  the  enemy  had 
counter  attacked  on  the  117th.  Companies  G and  H were 
sent  out  to  render  the  necessary  assistance,  hut  learned  that 
the  report  was  untrue  and  returned  to  their  respective  posi- 
tions in  the  line.  During  this  movement,  however,  Com- 
pany H was  caught  in  a heavy  shell  fire,  suffering  severe 
casualties,  including  eight  killed.  On  the  night  of  the  7th, 
the  British  took  over  a part  of  the  line  on  the  extreme  right 
that  was  being  held  by  L Company. 

In  accordance  with  instructions  from  the  2nd  Corps,  a 
formal  attack  by  the  Division  was  ordered  for  the  morning 
of  the  8th.  At  a conference  of  most  of  the  officers  held  in 
Regimental  Headquarters,  plans  were  worked  out  and  each 
unit  was  assigned  its  duties  for  the  next  morning.  The 
Regiment  was  again  handicapped  by  the  absence  of  several 
officers  who  had  been  sent  to  attend  another  school,  having 
left  the  Regiment  on  the  3rd  or  4th.  Just  before  daylight 
on  the  morning  of  the  8th,  the  Machine  Gun  Company  and 
the  Stokes  Mortar  Platoon  of  Headquarters  Company  were 
ordered  to  split  up  and  report  to  Battalion  Headquarters  of 
the  2nd  and  3rd  Battalions. 

At  ten  minutes  past  five,  just  as  dawn  was  breaking,  the 
artillery  laid  down  a heavy  barrage  and  the  men  started 
over  the  top,  following  the  tanks,  that  had  come  up  just  in 
time  to  take  their  places  in  the  line.  It  was  an  ideal  day 
for  fighting,  neither  too  hot  nor  too  cold,  and  as  the  mist 
soon  cleared  the  men  were  able  to  keep  in  contact  with  each 
other.  The  left  battalion,  the  2nd,  made  steady  progress 
towards  its  objective,  which  was  some  distance  northeast 
of  the  town  of  Brancourt.  The  3rd  Battalion  on  the  right, 
however,  met  with  fierce  opposition  from  the  very  begin- 
ning. Having  reached  the  outskirts  of  Brancourt,  this  op- 
position increased,  but  with  the  assistance  of  C Company 
and  the  Machine  Gun  Company,  the  Battalion  succeeded 


31 


in  driving  the  enemy  out  of  the  village  and  passed  through 
it.  This  was  done  after  numerous  machine  gun  nests  in  the 
town  had  been  taken  by  bold  assaults  and  after  considerable 
fighting  from  house  to  house.  One  company  of  the  First 
Battalion  was  used  to  mop  up  the  town.  The  First  Bat- 
talion having  followed  the  other  two  in  close  support, 
passed  through  them  after  they  had  gained  their  objectives 
and  advanced  to  what  was  called  the  contingent  objective, 
where  it  dug  in  for  the  time  being.  This  objective  was  at 
a distance  of  at  least  5,000  yards  from  the  starting  point. 
It  was  less  than  six  hours  before  that  the  first  shells  were 
fired  in  the  barrage,  yet  in  that  time  the  infantry  had  ad- 
vanced about  three  miles. 

During  the  attack  the  enemy  had  been  using  artillery  and 
machine  guns  with  telling  effect.  The  artillery  supporting 
us  had  followed  the  advance  with  great  rapidity,  but,  on 
account  of  faulty  liaison,  it  was  not  always  possible  to 
use  the  guns  as  the  exact  position  of  the  infantry  was  not 
known.  By  noon  all  objectives  had  been  gained  and  the 
Regiment  dug  in  for  the  rest  of  the  day.  The  new  line  held 
by  it  was  about  two  thousand  yards  east  of  Brancourt.  So 
rapid  was  the  advance  that  the  enemy  did  not  have  time 
to  remove  all  of  his  light  artillery,  resulting  in  the  capture 
by  this  Regiment  of  quite  a few  batteries  as  well  as  numerous 
machine  guns.  During  the  operation  the  Regiment  recap- 
tured six  square  miles  of  territory  that  had  been  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  enemy  for  over  four  years. 

During  the  afternoon  the  British  used  cavalry  in  an  at- 
tempt to  break  through  the  line  held  by  the  enemy.  No 
more  spectacular  sight  can  be  imagined  than  a cavalry 
charge  in  the  face  of  machine  gun  and  artillery  fire.  Both 
on  our  left  and  right,  we  could  see  troops  rush  out  of  some 
wood  and  sweep  up  the  side  of  a hill,  in  a perfect  line. 

Time  and  again  these  charges  would  be  made,  but  if  the 
main  purpose  was  to  break  through  the  line,  then  the  opera- 
tions could  not  be  termed  a success.  On  the  right  frequent 
charges  were  made  on  a nest  of  machine  guns  in  a patch  of 
woods.  In  this  operation  the  cavalry  was  successful,  as 
the  enemy  was  driven  from  the  woods.  Several  direct  hits 


32 


were  registered  on  this  latter  troop  by  enemy  artillery,  but 
this  did  not  stop  the  attack.  Later  in  the  day  the  enemy 
returned  to  the  woods,  making  it  necessary  for  the  infantry 
to  take  it  again. 

During  the  fighting  of  the  morning  the  Regiment  had 
suffered  very  severe  casualties.  Company  I had  met  with 
fierce  resistance  from  the  very  beginning  of  the  attack,  suf- 
fering many  casualties,  losing,  among  others,  Lieutenant 
W.  A.  Mulloy,  who  was  killed  early  in  the  morning.  Lieu- 
tenant T.  H.  Smith  was  also  killed  while  acting  as  Regi- 
mental liaison  officer,  and  later  in  the  day  Lieutenant  W.  A. 
Hudgens,  Adjutant  of  the  3rd  Battalion,  and  Lieutenant 
W.  C.  Stevenson  of  A Company  were  killed.  In  addition 
to  those  killed,  several  officers  were  wounded  severely.  A 
battalion  of  the  120th  Infantry  that  had  been  sent  forward 
to  reinforce  the  118th  was  caught  in  a barrage  on  the  edge 
of  Brancourt  and  suffered  very  heavily,  one  platoon  losing 
practically  every  man  in  it. 

The  capture  of  Brancourt  resulted  in  the  liberation  of  the 
few  remaining  civilians,  who  had  lived  there  during  the 
four  years  of  German  occupation.  It  is  impossible  to  de- 
scribe the  amazement  and  joy  of  these  poor  people  when 
they  realized  that  the  enemy  had  been  driven  from  the  vil- 
lage. No  more  pathetic  scene  can  be  imagined  than  that 
enacted  by  them  when  they  crawled  out  of  their  cellars  to 
find  that  the  Hun  rule  was  a thing  of  the  past.  It  was  here 
that  we  first  saw  evidence  of  the  barbarous  treatment  by 
the  Hun  of  those  who  had  been  forced  to  live  under  the 
iron  rule. 

In  summing  up  the  operation  of  the  first  day  it  can  be 
said  that  it  was  a glorious  victory  for  this  Regiment  in 
every  sense  of  the  word.  The  idea  that  the  American  sol- 
dier did  not  have  a superior  in  open  warfare  had  been 
proved.  The  line  had  been  advanced  to  the  contingent 
objective,  a distance  of  over  five  thousand  yards,  766  pris- 
oners captured,  including  16  officers,  a village  taken  and  a 
vast  amount  of  material  captured.  It  has  not  been  possible 
to  obtain  an  accurate  account  of  the  amount  of  material  cap- 
tured, as  the  advance  was  so  rapid  that  no  check  was  possi- 


33 


ble  at  the  time.  The  dreaded  price  had  been  paid  in  the 
severe  losses  sustained,  but  the  great  ultimate  object,  suc- 
cess in  battle,  had  been  attained.  In  speaking  of  this  suc- 
cess, due  credit  should  be  given  to  the  British  artillery 
supporting  the  Regiment,  as  well  as  the  tanks  manned  by 
Americans  that  assisted  in  the  operation. 

Late  during  the  night  of  the  8th,  orders  were  received 
for  another  attack  on  the  morning  of  the  9th.  These  orders 
were  so  late  in  reaching  the  respective  battalion  commanders 
that  very  little  time  was  given  in  which  to  work  out  the 
details  with  the  company  officers.  In  commenting  upon  this 
the  report  of  General  Lewis,  Division  Commander,  con- 
tains the  following  sentence:  “That  the  59th  Brigade 

attacked  the  next  morning  at  the  proper  time  and  in  the 
proper  formation  reflects  great  credit  upon  all  commanding 
officers  concerned.”  The  night  of  the  8th  passed  without 
any  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  enemy  to  counter  attack. 
His  planes  were  very  active,  dropping  a great  many  bombs 
in  the  towns  of  Montbreliain  and  Brancourt  and  on  the 
road  between  these  towns. 

At  5 :20,  the  morning  of  the  9th,  the  Regiment  again 
jumped  off.  supported  by  an  artillery  barrage  that  was  not 
as  effective  or  strong  as  the  one  of  the  preceding  morning. 
The  plan  of  attack  placed  the  1st  Battalion  in  front,  the 
2nd  in  support  and  the  3rd  in  reserve.  The  1st  Battalion 
reached  its  objectives  early  after  having  overcome  severe 
resistance,  especially  from  machine  gun  nests  concealed  in 
thick  woods,  which  were  taken  by  a bold  frontal  attack. 
Having  halted  upon  its  objective,  the  1st  Battalion  rested 
here  while  the  2nd  passed  through  it  and  advanced  to  its 
objective,  about  a thousand  yards  in  advance.  This  position 
was  the  Regimental  objective  for  the  day,  the  120th  passing 
through  at  this  position  and  moving  forward  to  its  objective 
on  the  eastern  outskirts  of  the  town  of  Becquigny,  a dis- 
tance of  about  2,000  yards  from  the  line  held  by  the  118th 
Infantry. 

During  this  advance  the  resistance  of  the  enemy  was  not 
as  strong  as  that  of  the  previous  morning.  Apparently,  he 
was  fighting  a rear  guard  action,  using  numerous  machine 


34 


guns  as  his  main  weapon  of  defense.  The  English,  on  the 
right,  had  not  advanced  as  rapidly  as  this  Regiment,  thereby 
leaving  an  exposed  flank  to  be  protected.  The  large  town 
of  Bohain,  on  the  right,  was  still  in  possession  of  the  enemy, 
so  it  became  necessary  to  throw  out  a protective  line  to  pre- 
vent an  attack  from  that  direction.  This  duty  was  per- 
formed by  the  2nd  Battalion,  supported  by  the  Machine 
Gun  Company,  the  latter  company  having  been  rushed  to 
the  support  of  G Company.  Having  been  the  first  com- 
pany to  reach  the  main  road  running  from  Bohain  to 
Busigny,  G Company  had  experienced  the  novel  sensation 
of  picking  off  a few  Boche  who  were  endeavoring  to  escape 
on  bicycles.  The  2nd  Battalion  captured  300  bicycles  dur- 
ing the  day. 

Ail  along  the  line  the  advance  had  been  rapid  and  steady. 
Opposition  was  encountered  from  machine  guns  concealed 
in  woods,  and  snipers  had  been  active,  but  in  every  instance 
this  opposition  had  been  overcome  by  the  men,  who  refused 
to  let  anything  hold  them  up.  An  examination  of  some  of 
these  machine  gun  nests  proved  to  be  interesting,  as  they 
showed  what  masters  of  this  weapon  the  Germans  had  be- 
come. Having  consolidated  the  line,  the  men  dug  in  for  the 
night  on  the  objective.  About  200  prisoners  had  been  cap- 
tured and  over  five  square  miles  of  territory  retaken.  As 
the  60th  Brigade  had  passed  through  the  59th  Brigade, 
during  the  day,  this  Regiment,  as  well  as  the  117th,  reverted 
to  Divisional  reserve.  The  afternoon  passed  in  comparative 
quietness,  which  was  a great  blessing  for  the  men.  as  they 
were  worn  out  by  the  strain  of  the  two  days’  fighting. 
Some  difficulty  had  been  experienced  in  getting  up  the 
rations  to  the  various  companies,  but  this  was  soon  reme- 
died. As  on  the  preceding  day,  the  advance  had  proved 
a success  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  The  casualties  had 
not  been  as  severe  nor  the  fighting  as  intense,  but  the  strain 
had  been  just  as  severe  on  the  men.  The  advance  had  car- 
ried the  Regiment  forward  for  a distance  of  4.100  yards, 
making  a total  advance  for  the  two  days  of  over  nine  thou- 
sand yards. 

On  the  night  of  the  9th  orders  were  received  stating  that 
the  Regiment  would  march  to  the  point  of  assembly  and 


35 


rest.  If  these  orders  meant  that  we  were  to  rest,  then  some- 
bod.y  changed  their  mind,  as  the  10th  found  us  still  ad- 
vancing. Orders  were  received  making  the  118th  Divisional 
reserve,  with  instructions  to  follow"  the  120th  Infantry  sup- 
port battalion  at  1,000  yards.  These  orders  did  not  reach 
Regimental  Headquarters  until  late  and  as  they  had  to  be 
communicated  to  the  respective  battalions,  it  was  conse- 
quently several  hours  after  daylight  before  the  movement 
v7as  wTell  underway.  As  an  instance  of  the  wonderful  effi- 
ciency of  the  Regiment  can  be  noted  the  fact  that  within 
less  than  one  hour  after  receiving  the  orders  the  men  were 
on  the  march.  The  order  of  this  march  was  3rd  Battalion 
in  the  lead,  2nd  Battalion  in  support  and  the  1st  following. 

During  this  advance  the  1st  Battalion  w-as  caught  in  a 
barrage  while  marching  up  a hill  on  the  southern  outskirts 
of  the  town  of  Becquigny,  suffering  severe  casualties.  This 
hill  must  have  been  under  direct  observation  by  the  enemy, 
as  a regular  barrage  was  laid  down  just  as  soon  as  the  Bat- 
talion started  up  it.  At  this  time  the  location  of  the  front 
line  was  not  definitely  known  by  the  Battalion  commanders. 
The  advance  of  the  120th  Infantry  had  been  brought  to  a 
stop  before  that  regiment  wTas  able  to  reach  its  objective. 
On  account  of  the  severity  of  the  fire  directed  against  it, 
that  Regiment  found  that  it  could  not  advance  and  was  com- 
pelled to  dig  in  for  protection.  In  the  meanwhile,  the  3rd 
Battalion  had  established  Headquarters  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  same  village  and  the  men  had  dug  in  along  the 
railroad  embankment  for  the  night. 

The  British,  on  the  right  of  the  120th  Infantry,  had  not 
been  able  to  advance  either.  This  left  a gap  between  that 
had  to  be  protected,  so  the  118th  v'as  again  called  upon  to 
perform  this  duty.  The  1st  Battalion  and  one  company 
of  the  3rd  Battalion  took  up  their  positions  on  the  right  of 
the  120th,  establishing  a series  of  connecting  posts.  The 
remaining  three  companies  of  the  3rd  Battalion  and  the 
2nd  Battalion  remained  in  support.  The  Machine  Gun 
Company  split  up,  two  platoons  having  gone  forward  with 
the  1st  Battalion,  while  the  other  platoon  operated  with 
the  2nd  Battalion.  The  rest  of  the  night  passed  in  com- 


36 


parative  quietness.  The  spoils  of  war  captured  by  this  Reg- 
iment on  the  10th  did  not  amount  to  anything  worthy  of 
record.  Until  five  companies  were  sent  into  the  line  to  con- 
nect the  British  and  the  120th,  the  main  duty  of  the  Regi- 
ment had  been  to  follow  the  advance  at  a distance  of  1,000 
yards.  The  night  of  the  3rd  marked  the  end  of  three  days’ 
continuous  advancement  on  the  part  of  this  Regiment,  but, 
even  then,  there  was  no  evidence  of  a relief  for  it. 

Orders  were  received  during  the  night  of  the  10th.  plac- 
ing the  118th  under  orders  of  the  Commanding  General 
of  the  60th  Brigade,  The  120th  Infantry  had  suffered  such 
severe  losses  during  the  two  preceding  days  that  it  was 
deemed  inadvisable  to  send  it  forward  again  the  next  morn- 
ing. So  the  118th  was  ordered  forward  to  take  its  place  in 
the  attack  to  be  delivered  the  next  morning.  The  orders 
were  late  in  reaching  the  Regiment. 

At  5:30  a.  m.,  October  11th,  the  60th  Brigade  attacked, 
with  the  118th  on  the  right  and  the  119th  on  the  left.  A 
very  limited  barrage  supported  the  attack.  The  advance 
of  the  previous  three  days  had  been  so  rapid  that  it  had  not 
been  possible  for  the  artillery  to  follow  it  closely.  Horses 
had  dropped  dead  endeavoring  to  keep  up,  and  the  supply 
of  ammunition  had  run  low.  As  the  line  of  the  118th  was 
behind  that  of  the  119th,  the  two  regiments  did  not  start 
the  attack  simultaneously,  the  latter  regiment  being  ordered 
to  wait  until  the  advance  of  the  118th  had  brought  it  up 
on  the  same  line.  Some  of  the  units  did  not  get  away 
promptly  at  zero  hour  on  account  of  the  orders  having 
reached  them  at  such  a late  hour.  The  barrage  was  put 
down  on  a line  in  advance  of  the  118th,  holding  up  after 
twenty  minutes  in  order  to  allow  the  infantry  to  catch  up. 

With  the  LaSelle  River  and  the  high  ground  beyond  it  as 
the  objectives,  the  Regiment  attacked,  the  1st  Battalion 
in  the  center,  with  the  2nd  on  the  left  and  the  3rd  on  the 
right.  The  1st  Battalion  of  the  120th  Infantry  acted  as 
Regimental  reserve.  On  the  left  of  the  Regimental  sector 
the  advance  was  steady.  The  village  of  LaHaie  Menneresse 
was  taken  after  an  engagement  in  the  town.  On  the  ex- 
treme left  the  advance  carried  the  line  to  the  LaSelle  River. 


37 


the  frontage  along  this  river  amounting  to  1,000  yards.  The 
center  and  right  of  the  Regiment  met  with  very  severe 
opposition  from  the  beginning.  Yaux  Andigny  was  taken 
after  hard  fighting  and  on  the  extreme  right  a nest  of  ma- 
chine guns  was  taken  by  a bold  assault.  The  same  uncon- 
querable spirit  of  the  past  three  days  carried  the  men 
through  Vaux  Andigny,  but  fire  from  machine  gun  and 
artillery  took  an  awful  toll.  Having  passed  through  the 
village,  it  was  found  that  a further  advance  was  impossible. 
The  center  and  right  of  the  Regiment  here  met  with  a re- 
sistance stronger  than  had  ever  been  encountered  before. 
The  enemy  had  taken  advantage  of  the  preceding  day  to 
make  his  preparations  for  a stand  on  the  high  ground. 
Faced  by  the  river  and  the  high  ground,  upon  which  the 
enemy  had  a well  defined  trench  system  alive  with  machine 
guns,  it  would  have  been  nothing,  short  of  suicide  to  try 
to  advance  without  artillery  support.  The  location  of  the 
terrain  favored  the  enemy,  as  he  was  well  secured  on  the 
side  of  a hill,  while  this  Regiment  would  have  been  com- 
pelled to  advance  in  the  open  against  numerous  machine 
guns.  So  the  line  was  established  short  of  the  original  ob- 
jective for  the  first  time  in  the  fighting. 

It  was  a case  of  the  rifle  against  machine  guns,  light 
artillery  and  trench  mortars.  The  auxiliary  arms  of  the 
Regiment  could  not  render  any  support  worth  mentioning. 
Call  after  call  was  sent  back  for  artillery  action,  but  none 
was  forthcoming.  All  day  long  the  men  remained  in  their 
positions,  attempting  to  discover  from  where  the  fire  was 
coming.  The  115th  Machine  Gun  Battalion  was  ordered 
forward  to  reinforce  the  118th  Infantry,  sending  two  com- 
panies to  the  2nd  Battalion  and  two  to  the  1st  Battalion. 
These  companies  did  not  arrive  until  late  in  the  afternoon 
and  as  six  of  their  guns  had  been  knocked  out  before  reach- 
ing the  line,  were  not  able  to  render  very  much  assistance. 

Orders  were  received  from  General  Faison,  Commanding 
60th  Brigade,  stating  that  no  companies  would  cross  the 
river  until  directed  to  do  so  by  him.  It  was  easy  to  see 
that  neither  the  British  on  the  right  or  the  3rd  Battalion 
of  this  Regiment  could  possibly  reach  the  river  in  the  face 


38 


of  the  opposition  from  the  high  ground.  Order's  were  then 
issued  to  keep  the  line  on  this  side  of  the  river  until  artil- 
lery support  could  be  brought  up.  Had  the  Regiment  been 
able  to  secure  this  supjrort  or  tanks  the  advance  would  have 
probably  gone  forward  until  the  objective  was  reached. 

An  incident  happened  here  that  the  author  deems  worth)' 
of  mention.  The  Regiment  had  suffered  such  severe  losses 
that  it  could  not  afford  to  spare  a single  man,  yet  orders 
were  received  during  the  hottest  part  of  the  fighting,  order- 
ing each  battalion  to  send  back  a number  of  non-commis- 
sioned officers  to  attend  an  officers’  training  camp.  These 
men  were  sent  to  a school  where  they  were  taught  by  in- 
structors, most  of  whom  had  never  commanded  troops  in 
the  front  line,  how  to  do  squads  right  and  to  salute.  As  a 
fitting  reward  for  their  service  and  the  work  they  did  in 
this  school,  they  were  returned  to  the  Regiment  after  the 
armistice,  with  the  same  rank  held  when  they  left  it. 

On  the  night  of  the  11th  arrangements  were  made  for 
the  relief  of  the  Regiment,  the  relief  being  completed  before 
daylight  the  morning  of  the  12th.  The  relief  was  made 
by  the  107th  Regiment  of  the  27th  Division.  Just  previous 
to  this  relief  Lieutenant  Henry  J.  Brown  of  I Company  was 
killed,  making  a total  of  ten  officers  killed  since  Septem- 
ber 25th. 

Having  marched  out  of  the  lines,  the  Regiment  camped 
in  an  area  about  2,000  yards  west  of  the  Bohain-Busigny 
Road.  All  day,  the  12th,  the  men  stretched  out  on  the 
ground,  trying  to  .relax  their  tired  bodies  and  to  make  up 
some  of  the  sleep  that  had  been  lost  during  the  fighting. 
The  13th  was  sjDent  in  the  same  position,  but  on  the  14th 
the  Regiment  moved  into  Bohain,  a large  town  that  had 
been  captured  by  the  British  in  the  recent  fighting,  after 
a patrol  from  the  118th  had  entered  the  town  and  found 
that  the  enemy  had  evacuated  it.  The  move  into  Bohain 
proved  to  be  unfortunate,  as  the  town  was  being  heavily 
shelled,  while  our  entrance  seemed  to  bring  additional  fire. 
Captain  Pyles,  Regimental  Adjutant,  and  Lieutenant  M.  TV. 
Jones  of  Headquarters  Company  were  both  killed  by  shell 
fire  in  this  town,  while  Captain  R.  TV.  Hudgens  was  seriously 


39 


injured,  receiving  nineteen  wounds.  As  the  intensity  of 
the  shell  fire  increased,  the  Regiment  was  assembled  and 
marched  back  to  the  same  position  it  had  occupied  since 
the  morning  of  the  12th.  Here  the  Regiment  remained 
until  the  night  of  the  loth,  when  it  again  went  into  the  line, 
relieving  the  107th  Infantry  on  part  of  the  line  held  by  that 
Regiment.  A report  from  the  different  battalions  on  the 
morning  of  the  14th  showed  the  total  strength  to  be  between 
fourteen  and  fifteen  hundred  men,  or  less  than  fifty  per 
cent,  of  full  strength. 

Having  taken  over  a part  of  the  line  in  the  same  position 
that  it  had  been  when  the  Regiment  turned  it  over  to  the 
107th  Infantry,  preparations  were  made  for  still  another 
attack.  Having  failed  to  receive  proper  artillery  support, 
the  107th  had  not  attempted  to  advance  the  line  during  the 
four  days  previous.  The  sector  taken  over  by  the  118t.h 
extended  from  a point  northeast  of  Vaux  Andigny  to  a 
point  northeast  of  Le  Haie  Menneresse,  a distance  of  about 
fifteen  hundred  yards.  On  the  right,  the  line  was  held  by 
the  117th  Infantry,  and  on  the  left,  by  the  105th  Infantry. 
The  3rd  Battalion  composed  the  attacking  force,  followed 
at  800  yards  by  the  2nd  Battalion  in  close  support,  with  two 
companies  of  the  1st  Battalion  in  reserve.  The  remaining 
two  companies  of  the  1st  Battalion  were  used  as  Brigade 
support.  As  an  objective  the  Regiment  was  called  upon  to 
take  the  high  ground  east  of  L’Arbe  DeGuise  and  Ribeau- 
ville. 

The  attack  was  delivered  at  5 :20  a.  m.,  in  a dense  fog 
that  caused  some  confusion  in  the  beginning,  as  it  was  im- 
possible for  all  units  to  keep  the  correct  direction.  Part  of 
the  3rd  Battalion  moved  too  far  to  the  right  and  entered 
the  village  of  Molain,  taking  this  town  and  turning  it  over 
to  the  117th.  Proper  direction  was  soon  recovered  and  as 
the  fog  cleared  the  line  moved  forward.  The  LaSelle  River 
was  crossed  in  numerous  places,  generally  without  much 
difficulty,  as  there  was  very  little  water  in  the  stream.  The 
usual  strong  opposition  had  been  encountered  from  the  be- 
ginning but  was  partly  overcome  by  the  barrage  and  the 
use  of  tanks.  On  account  of  the  density  of  the  fog,  how- 


40 


ever,  it  was  impossible  for  the  infantry  to  keep  in  touch 
with  the  tanks,  and  within  a short  time  the  men  were  fight- 
ing, as  they  had  been  for  the  past  several  days,  on  their 
own.  Once  again  the  118th  Infantry  was  confronted  with 
the  task  of  cleaning  out  towns  and  machine  gun  nests  with 
automatic  rifles,  grenades  and  rifles.  The  Machine  Gun 
Battalions  had  assisted  in  the  barrage  at  the  beginning  of 
the  attack  but  had  been  of  no  further  use  in  the  advance, 
as  it  was  not  possible  to  see  any  objects  upon  which  machine 
gun  fire  could  be  concentrated.  The  Regimental  Machine 
Gun  Comjoany  had  suffered  such  severe  losses  at  the  very 
beginning  of  the  attack  that  the  remnant  of  this  Company 
was  organized  as  one  platoon  and  held  at  2nd  Battalion 
Headquarters. 

Having  advanced  to  within  five  hundred  yards  of  the 
final  objective  for  the  day,  having  taken  the  town  of  St. 
Martin  Rivere,  the  attacking  line  of  the  Regiment  was  held 
up  bv  machine  gun  and  artillery’  fire  of  great  intensity.  It 
was  necessary  to  fall  back  a short  distance  where  some  pro- 
tection could  be  gained  by  a sunken  road  south  of  L'Arbee 
DeGuise.  The  enemy  was  firing  his  artillery  over  open 
sights  directly  in  front,  making  a further  advance  impos- 
sible as  the  barrage  had  stopped  and  there  were  not  enough 
tanks  to  destroy  the  machine  gun  nests.  The  2nd  Battalion 
advanced  beyond  the  village  of  L'Arbre  Guernon  but  was 
held  up  by  heavy  fire  and  compelled  to  fall  back  400  yards, 
where  it  remained  behind  a hedge  while  the  3rd  Battalion 
moved  into  an  advanced  position.  The  fighting  had 
been  very  severe  all  day  and  while  the  objective  had  not 
been  reached,  the  advance  had  been  to  a depth  of  over  4,000 
yards  on  a front  of  1,000  yards.  Whn  the  nature  of  the 
opposition  and  the  terrain  are  considered,  the  advance  was 
a wonderful  feat  on  the  part  of  this  Regiment.  The  barrage 
of  the  enemy  had  been  unusually  heavy,  having  inflicted 
severe  casualties  throughout  the  Regiment  at  the  beginning 
of  the  attack.  Neither  the  117th.  on  the  right,  or  the  105th, 
on  the  left,  had  been  able  to  make  an  advance  beyond  that 
made  by  the  118th,  so  the  line  held  by  these  three  regiments 
was  consolidated  during  the  night  of  the  17th,  and  the  men 


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TOWNS  TAKEN  BY  X1STH  INFANTRY  INDICATED  ON  THIS  MAP  IN  RED  INK. 


41 


dug  in  for  protection  and  sleep.  The  companies  did  not 
average  over  one  officer  and  50  men  at  this  time.  During 
this  last  phase  the  1st  Battalion  was  commanded  by  Captain 
Arthur  Lee  of  D Company,  who  had  succeeded  Captain 
Ligon  upon  his  evacuation. 

On  the  night  of  the  17th,  the  120th  Infantry  relieved  the 
118th  in  the  front  line  through  the  center  and  outskirts  of 
the  village  of  Abre  DeGuise.  The  3rd  Battalion  retired 
to  a position  3,000  yards  to  the  rear,  while  the  2nd  took  up 
its  position  on  the  left,  covering  the  left  flank  of  the  120th, 
at  a distance  to  the  rear  of  about  2,500  yards.  The  1st  Bat- 
talion moved  to  the  eastern  outskirts  of  the  village  of 
LaHaie  Menneresse.  The  2nd  and  3rd  Battalions  remained 
here,  but  the  1st  was  ordered  to  advance  in  support  of  the 
120th  Infantry. 

The  60th  Brigade  attacked  on  the  morning  of  the  18th 
and  while  the  line  was  advanced  on  the  right,  it  was  bent 
back  on  the  left  around  the  town  of  Mazinkhien.  During 
this  advance  the  1st  Battalion  of  the  118th  was  used  to  pro- 
tect the  flank  of  the  120th,  following  that  Regiment  at  a 
distance  of  about  1,000  yards.  The  attack  of  the  60th  Bri- 
gade was  not  a complete  success  on  account  of  the  resistance 
of  the  enemy  in  the  towns  om  Mazinghein,  Ecaillon  and 
Ribeaucourt.  The  attack  did  not  end  here,  however,  and 
on  the  morning  of  the  19th,  the  60th  Brigade  again  at- 
tacked. The  1st  Battalion  of  the  118th  still  went  forward 
to  protect  the  flank.  All  resistance  was  finally  overcome 
and  the  Brigade  was  rapidly  approaching  its  objective  when 
orders  were  received  for  it  to  dig  in  and  hold  the  line  prep- 
aratory to  being  relieved  by  the  1st  British  Division. 

After  having  been  in  almost  constant  action  since  the 
night  of  October  5th,  the  118th  Infantry  was  relieved  on  the 
night  of  the  19th  of  October  and  started  a march  out  of 
the  lines.  On  the  20th,  the  Regiment  marched  by  way  of 
Premont  and  Braneourt  to  Montbrehain,  where  it  billeted 
for  the  night.  The  next  day  the  march  was  continued 
through  the  towns  of  Ramicourt,  Joncourt  and  Xauroy,  the 
Regiment  billeting  for  the  night  at  Bellicourt.  On  the 
22nd,  the  towns  of  Hargicourt,  Templeux  and  Roisel  were 


42 


passed  and  camp  was  pitched  at  Hervilly.  Here  we  re- 
mained during  the  night,  marching  to  Tincourt  on  the 
morning  of  October  23rd  and  entraining  in  that  town  on 
the  night  of  the  23rd.  After  a trip  of  several  hours  it  ar- 
rived at  Albert  and  detrained  there  early  on  the  morning 
of  the  24th.  The  final  and  last  lap  of  the  march  was  made 
on  that  morning  when  the  Regiment  marched  to  the  train- 
ing area  around  Bazieux. 

A brief  summary  of  the  October  operations  will  give 
some  idea  of  what  the  118th  accomplished  in  the  fighting. 
The  operations  of  the  Division  were  no  doubt  a part  of  a 
general  plan  in  which  the  British  Armies  and  the  2nd  Corps, 
First  American  Army,  composed  of  the  30th  and  27th 
Divisions,  had  been  assigned  the  duty  of  pushing  north- 
east between  St.  Quentin  and  Cambrai  in  an  attempt  to 
break  the  German  line  and  force  the  enemy  into  Belgium. 
By  cutting  his  main  line  of  communications  in  this  vicinity 
and  by  forcing  him  back  out  of  France,  the  Armies  on  this 
front  would  be  placing  the  enemy  forces  in  Belgium  and 
north  of  St.  Quentin  in  a precarious  condition.  It  was  for 
this  reason  that  the  operations  were  deemed  so  important, 
and  it  is  the  belief  of  the  men  of  the  118th  Infantry  that 
no  single  regiment  contributed  any  more  to  the  success  of 
the  general  operations  than  this  Regiment  did.  The  fol- 
lowing statistics  are  taken  from  official  records,  published 
either  by  the  Division,  the  Brigade  or  the  Regiment : 

Having  gone  over  the  toj:>  on  the  morning  of  the  8th  of 
October,  after  occupying  the  line  for  two  days  and  three 
nights,  this  Regiment  attacked  as  a front  line  unit  on  the 
mornings  of  the.  9th,  11th  and  17th,  and  followed  in  close 
support  or  reserve  on  October  10th,  18th  and  19th.  During 
the  October  operations  the  30th  Division  penetrated  to  a 
depth  of  over  18,000  yards.  The  118th  Infantry  occupied 
the  front  line  during  over  14,000  yards  of  this  advance.  The 
consolidated  report  of  captured  war  material  of  the  118th 
Infantry  shows  that  from  October  8th,  to  October  20th. 
this  Regiment  captured  48  heavy  machine  guns.  166  light 
machine  guns,  25  field  guns,  72  trench  mortars  and  2,850 
rifles.  The  Regimental  report,  showing  prisoners  captured 


43 


during  the  same  time,  shows  1,343  men  and  76  officers  cap- 
tured. The  casualties  in  the  Regiment  were  very  heavy, 
as  evidenced  by  the  following  figures,  which  include  the 
operation  of  September : Killed,  14  officers,  188  men,  which 
does  not  include  those  who  died  in  the  hospitals  of  wounds, 
and  1,678  other  casualties,  which  includes  wounded,  gassed 
and  evacuated  for  other  causes.  The  59th  Brigade  report 
states  that  the  total  casualties  of  the  Brigade  were  3,496, 
including  465  killed.  This  report  also  shows  that  the  Bri- 
gade penetrated  to  a depth  of  15,400  yards  in  October  and 
states  that,  in  considering  the  above  figures  it  must  be  under- 
stood that  the  entire  118th  Infantry  was  engaged  in  aiding 
the  60th  Brigade  on  October  lltli  and  was  fighting  in  the 
front  line  the  whole  of  that  day,  but  no  advance  gained 
during  that  day  are  included  in  the  above  figures  for  the 
59th  Brigade.  Some  of  these  statistics  are  given  in  more 
detailed  reports  following  this  chapter. 

Many  things  connected  with  these  operations  of  the  Regi- 
ment cannot  be  told  in  these  pages.  Only  those  who  went 
through  this  terrible  ordeal  can  have  a vivid  picture  of  the 
events  that  occurred,  and,  as  a general  rule,  each  man  was 
limited  in  his  perspective  to  what  he  himself  saw  and  ac- 
complished. One  or  two  outstanding  features  were  visible 
to  all,  and  with  these  the  author  would  like  to  deal  briefly. 

Perhaps  the  most  impressive  feature  was  the  splendid 
work  of  the  non-commissioned  officers.  The  casualties 
among  the  officers  were  so  severe  that  in  a great  many  in- 
stances their  duties  devolved  on  the  N.  C.  O.’s,  who  showed 
themselves  capable  of  handling  any  emergency  and  of  lead- 
ing men  to  success  time  and  time  again.  The  records  of 
individual  feats  of  valor  show  that  in  a large  percentage  of 
these,  non-commissioned  officers  performed  in  a degree  of 
skill  and  courage  that  could  not  be  surpassed.  The  record 
of  decorations,  as  well  as  the  numerous  recommendations 
for  promotion  give  some  idea  of  the  importance  of  the  work 
of  these  young  leaders. 

Another  feature  was  the  individuality  with  which  the 
men  fought  and  their  ability  to  cope  with  unforseen  and 
unexpected  conditions.  The  fighting  showed  that  the  in- 


44 


fantryman  had  to  bear  the  great  burden  of  the  fighting  and 
that  it  was  not  possible  to  put  very  much  dependence  in 
most  of  the  auxiliary  arms  attached  to  the  infantry.  These 
units,  it  is  true,  were  at  a great  disadvantage  in  the  semi- 
open warfare,  that  constituted  the  hardest  fighting,  but  the 
fact  remains  that  the  front  line  infantryman  had  to  do 
most  of  the  work  unaided. 

In  the  great  majority  of  cases,  orders  were  very  late  in 
reaching  the  battalions,  thus  working  a great  hardship  on 
the  companies,  as  it  was  not  possible  to  perfect  plans  in 
the  short  time  given.  It  is  very  probable,  from  what  the 
author  has  been  able  to  gather,  that  the  fault  in  the  trans- 
mission of  these  orders  lay  higher  than  Brigade  Headquar- 
ters. On  more  than  one  occasion,  the  orders  were  so  late  in 
reaching  the  company  commanders  that  the  attack  started 
before  they  could  have  possibly  gathered  a clear  conception 
of  the  duties  required  by  the  companies.  This,  together 
with  the  failure  to  furnish  sufficient  maps,  might  have  re- 
sulted disastrously  had  it  not  been  for  the  ability  and  initia- 
tive of  the  company  commanders  and  their  subordinates. 

Before  concluding  this  chapter  special  mention  should 
be  made  of  some  of  the  auxiliary  units  of  the  Begiment. 

The  work  of  the  Machine  Gun  Company  is  deserving  of 
special  mention  on  account  of  its  operations  on  the  morn- 
ing of  October  8th.  in  Brancourt,  in  which  it  very  materially 
aided  the  3rd  Battalion  in  taking  the  town.  All  during  the 
fighting  this  unit  was  very  effective,  although  its  effective- 
ness was  greatly  impaired  during  the  last  days  of  the  fight- 
ing on  account  of  the  very  heavy  losses  it  sustained. 

The  Medical  Detachment  of  the  Begiment  rendered  very 
efficient  service  from  the  beginning.  Establishing  first  aid 
posts  in  most  instances  under  great  difficulties,  thousands  of 
cases  were  handled  with  rapidity  and  care,  the  wounded 
receiving  the  best  possible  attention.  Although  the  Detach- 
ment lost  the  services  of  several  of  its  doctors,  who  were 
severely  gassed,  it  continued  to  operate  until  the  very  end 
and  to  minister  to  the  suffering  wounded. 

The  Supply  Company  handled  its  duties  with  unusual 
efficiency,  following  the  advances  of  the  Begiment  from  day 


45 


to  day  and  keeping  the  supplies  moving  forward.  This 
Company  has  not  been  overlooked  in  this  record  but  has 
been  assigned  a chapter  in  which  the  importance  of  this 
branch  of  the  service  is  shown. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  important  branches  of  service  in 
modern  warfare  is  the  signal  work.  In  the  118th  this  work 
was  done  by  the  Regimental  Signal  Platoon  and  a detach- 
ment from  the  105th  Signal  Battalion.  These  two  units 
kept  up  communications  between  Regimental  Headquarters 
and  the  various  Battalion  Headquarters,  showing  great 
efficiency  in  their  work.  Most  of  the  messages  during  the 
fighting,  however,  in  front  of  the  different  Battalion  Head- 
quarters had  to  be  done  by  runners,  who  deserve  all  the 
praise  that  can  be  bestowed  upon  them,  as  their  duties  were 
not  only  extremely  hazardous  but  very  tiring. 

In  conclusion,  the  following  extracts  from  General 
Tyson’s  report  are  quoted  as  a tribute  to  the  work  of  the 
men  of  the  118th  Infantry: 

“The  above  record  is  indeed  a glorious  one,  and  every 
officer  and  soldier  of  this  command  should  be  justly  proud 
of  it  to  his  dying  day.”  After  mentioning  the  breaking  of 
the  Hindenburg  Line,  he  continues:  “And  not  only  that, 
but  we  will  also  appreciate  more  fully  the  value  of  the  bat- 
tles won  on  the  following  days  at  Montbrehain,  at  Bran- 
court,  at  Premont.  at  Busigny,  at  Molain  and  at  many  lesser 
places,  in  all  of  which  this  Brigade  was  engaged.  While 
the  battle  of  Bellicourt  was  a bloody  one,  the  battles  above 
named  were  more  so  for  this  Brigade.  A grateful  country 
will  not  fail  to  give  credit  where  credit  is  due,  and  the  fame 
of  this  Brigade  rests  secure.  The  proudest  heritage  of  the 
children  of  the  soldiers  of  this  Brigade  will  be  the  knowl- 
edge that  their  fathers  fought  in  these  battles  of  the  greatest 
war  of  all  times.  As  your  Brigade  Commander,  I desire  to 
express  my  great  joricle  in  this  Brigade  and  to  say  how  glad 
I am  that  I have  had  the  honor  to  command  it  so  long  and 
to  be  a part  and  parcel  of  the  fine  record  it  has  made.  I 
have  received  nothing  but  loyalty  and  co-operation  from 
each  and  every  officer  and  man  from  the  time  I took  com- 
mand of  it  in  November,  1917,  down  to  this  good  hour,  and 
this  I appreciate  more  than  words  can  express.” 


CHAPTER  V. 
After  the  Armistice. 


Having  reached  the  Heilly  Training  Area,  near  Amiens, 
Regimental  Headquarters  was  established  in  Bazieux.  the 
2nd  Battalion,  Headquarters  Company  and  the  Machine 
Gun  Company  also  billeting  in  that  town,  while  the  1st  and 
3rd  Battalions  located  in  Wa-rloy.  The  first  few  days  were 
spent  in  rest  that  came  as  a blessed  relief  to  the  weary,  worn 
veterans.  Within  a few  days,  however,  the  same  old  drills 
and  inspections  started  again  preparatory  to  another  trip 
to  the  front.  The  Regiment  participated  in  athletic  events, 
in  which  the  Brigade,  Division  and  Corps  took  part,  the 
118th  winning  the  Brigade  meet  from  the  117th  and  the 
114th  Machine  Gun  Battalion.  For  the  first  time  in  many 
weeks  the  men  received  baths  and  their  clothing  was  de- 
loused.  During  the  first  week  in  November  replacements 
began  to  arrive,  most  of  whom  had  been  given  only  a short 
period  of  training  in  the  United  States,  but,  fortunately 
for  the  Regiment,  many  of  the  men  who  had  been  slightly 
wounded,  returned  to  it  after  a short  stay  in  the  hospitals. 
Realizing  that  within  a few  days  the  Division  would  be 
ordered  up  to  the  front  again,  the  officers  worked  very  hard 
with  the  new  men  in  an  attempt  to  get  them  in  shape  for 
fighting. 

On  the  night  of  November  10th,  news  of  the  armistice 
reached  the  men,  putting  an  end  to  the  tension  and  sus- 
pense under  which  everybody  had  been  working  for  the 
past  two  weeks.  The  news  was  received  more  quietly  than 
might  have  been  expected,  but  that  was  probably  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  men  had  been  through  so  much  that 
they  did  not  care  to  express  themselves  by  giving  away  to 
any  emotion.  Almost  as  soon  as  it  was  officially  stated  that 
the  Armistice  had  been  signed,  talk  of  going  home  began. 
There  was  a relaxation  on  the  part  of  officers  and  men  that 
was  very  noticeable,  and  while  the  drill  and  work  did  not 
stop,  they  were  done  with  glad  hearts  and  with  a different 
spirit.  Within  a few  days  orders  were  received  to  turn  in 


47 


certain  British  equipment  and  preparations  were  begun  for 
another  move  of  the  Division.  On  November  22nd  the  Reg- 
iment moved  into  the  Le  Mans  area,  arriving  there  after  a 
twenty-four  hour  trip  on  troop  trains.  After  having  been 
affiliated  with  the  British  for  over  six  months,  the  Regi- 
ment had  severed  its  connections  with  them  and  was  once 
again  a part  and  parcel  of  the  American  Expeditionary 
Forces  in  every  sense  of  the  word. 

By  the  night  of  November  24tli,  the  entire  Regiment  had 
reached  the  new  area,  Regimental  Headquarters  and  the 
auxiliary  companies  billeting  in  Montbizot,  the  3rd  Battalion 
in  LaGuierche,  the  2nd  in  Souligne  and  the  1st  in  Mont- 
bizot and  the  outskirts.  As  this  was  the  area  assigned  to 
troops  who  would  make  an  early  departure  for  America,  it 
was  generally  believed  throughout  the  Regiment  that  we 
would  soon  be  on  the  deep  blue  sea.  Every  day  some  fresh 
rumor  would  raise  our  hopes  of  an  immediate  departure, 
but  it  began  to  seem  that  we  had  talked  too  quick.  Living 
under  conditions  that  could  certainly  not  be  called  ideal,  we 
spent  the  months  of  December,  January  and  a part  of  Feb- 
ruary in  this  area.  Drills  and  maneuvers  were  the  order 
of  the  day.  It  is  probable  that  the  men  of  the  Regiment 
will  long  remember  Christmas,  1918,  as  it  probably  meant 
less  to  them  than  any  previous  one  or  any  future  one  ever 
will  mean.  Afternoon  drills  were  discontinued  during 
January,  making  the  days  even  longer  than  before,  as  there 
were  very  few  forms  of  amusement  in  these  little  villages. 

The  time  spent  in  this  area  was  made  harder  to  bear  for 
a great  many  of  the  men  on  account  of  the  failure  of  the 
Government  to  pay  them  regularly.  Perhaps  one  of  the 
blackest  spots  in  the  record  of  the  A.  E.  F.  was  the  rank 
failure  of  the  pay  system.  Having  issued  pay  cards  to  the 
men,  they  were  not  allowed  to  use  them,  in  this  Regiment, 
at  least.  These  cards  were  issued  in  order  that  the  men 
whose  service  records  had  been  misplaced,  could  receive 
their  pay,  regulations  forbidding  a man’s  name  to  appear 
on  a pay  roll  unless  his  service  record  was  within  his  regi- 
ment. As  lots  of  these  had  been  misplaced,  through  no 
fault  of  the  men,  these  soldiers,  who  had  risked  their  all, 


48 


sometimes  went  three  and  four  months  without  receiving 
one  cent  of  pay.  It  was  not  confined  to  a few  men,  but  in 
one  company  alone  there  were  over  forty  men  who  did  not 
receive  any  pay  for  three  months.  As  the  same  delay  in 
payment  seemed  to  have  existed  in  other  divisions,  it  would 
seem  that  the  fault  lay  in  some  one  high  in  authority.  The 
practical  result  of  this  delay  was  to  place  a great  many  men 
in  such  a position  that  they  could  not  even  purchase  a pack- 
age of  cigarettes. 

In  spite  of  the  hardships  endured  and  the  handicaps 
under  which  they  lived,  the  men  did  not  complain  very 
much  and  got  what  enjoyment  was  possible  out  of  life.  The 
living  quarters  were  crowded,  without  heat  and  light,  while 
the  constant  rain  was  enough  to  dampen  the  spirits  of  a 
mermaid;  yet  the  men  retained  their  good  humor  and 
health.  An  occasional  leave  to  Le  Mans  constituted  the 
chief  diversion,  while  band  concerts,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  tents 
and  poker  were  the  other  principal  amusements.  One  day 
was  spent  very  much  like  another  for  two  and  a half 
months,  during  which  the  greatest  topic  of  conversation 
was  the  date  of  sailing  for  home. 

During  December  Colonel  Wolfe  left  the  Regiment, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  W.  F.  L.  Hartigan  assuming  command 
upon  his  departure.  Colonel  Hartigan  had  been  with  the 
Division  for  several  months  and  had  been  sent  to  the  118th 
to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  return  of  Colonel  Spratt 
to  the  United  States.  Colonel  C.  H.  Healey  assumed  com- 
mand, but  remained  with  the  Regiment  only  a short  time, 
having  been  transferred  to  some  other  division.  The  Regi- 
ment lost  some  of  its  oldest  and  most  efficient  officers  in 
January,  these  gentlemen  having  requested  transfers  in 
order  that  they  might  be  placed  in  the  regular  army. 
Among  those  transferred  were  Major  Poe,  who  had  ren- 
dered faithful  service  as  the  head  of  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment, and  Major  McFadden,  Commanding  Officer  of  the 
2nd  Battalion,  this  officer  having  received  his  majority 
after  having  handled  the  battalion  throughout  practically 
all  of  its  engagements.  Upon  the  transfer  of  Colonel 
Healey,  the  Regiment  was  fortunate  in  having  Colonel 


49 


McCully,  the  old  Commanding  Officer,  return  to  us.  It  was 
a pleasure  to  have  him  in  command  when  the  return  to 
America  was  made. 

Having  made  a complete  inspection  of  the  Division  on 
January  21st,  General  Pershing  made  the  following  state- 
ment in  a letter  to  General  Lewis,  which  was  published 
throughout  the  Regiment : 

‘‘It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  extend  to  you  and  the  offi- 
cers and  men  of  the  30th  Division  my  sincere  compliments 
upon  their  appearance  at  the  review  and  inspection  on  the 
21st  of  January,  southwest  of  Teille,  which  was  excellent 
and  is  just  what  would  be  expected  in  a command  with  such 
a splendid  fighting  record.  It  is  gratifying  to  see  your 
troops  in  such  good  physical  shape,  but  still  more  so  to 
know  that  this  almost  ideal  condition  will  continue  to  the 
end  of  their  service  and  beyond,  as  an  exemplification  of 
their  high  character  and  soldierly  qualities.” 

The  officers  had  the  pleasure  of  listening  to  an  address 
by  General  Pershing  during  the  next  week,  in  which  he  laid 
emphasis  on  the  part  played  by  this  Division  during  the 
time  it  fought  with  the  British. 

After  dozens  of  false  rumors,  the  Regiment  finally  re- 
ceived real  orders  to  move  to  the  forwarding  camp  on  the 
outskirts  of  Le  Mans.  On  February  7th,  after  a march  of 
about  fifteen  miles,  the  forwarding  camp  was  reached  and 
for  the  first  time  in  many  months  the  Regiment  again  occu- 
pied an  American  camp,  men  and  officers  being  quartered 
in  long  wooden  buildings,  in  which  there  were  rough  beds 
or  bunks.  According  to  all  the  information  that  could  be 
gathered,  previous  units  who  had  occupied  these  quarters 
had  remained  here  only  a few  days  and  had  been  sent  from 
here  to  a port  of  embarkation,  so  once  again  our  hopes  were 
raised.  Physical  examinations,  equipment  inspections  and 
delousing  were  indulged  in  extensively,  each  inspection 
giving  rise  to  a new  rumor  of  immediate  departure.  On 
February  15th,  the  clearance  certificate  was  given  to  the 
Personnel  Adjutant,  stating  that  the  paper  work  of  the 
Regiment  was  complete  and  up  to  date.  For  some  unknown 
reason,  however,  the  entire  Division  was  detained  in  the 


50 


forwarding  camp  and  this  Regiment  did  not  leave  until  the 
8th  and  9th  of  March. 

By  the  morning  of  the  10th  of  March  the  entire  Regi- 
ment had  reached  the  port  of  Saint  Kazaire,  a port  which 
in  many  ways  resembled  an  American  city  on  account  of  the 
immense  warehouses  and  the  thousands  of  American  troops 
stationed  there.  Again  the  men  were  put  through  the 
delousing  process  and  were  given  another  physical  examina- 
tion before  boarding  transports.  On  the  15th  of  March, 
a large  part  of  the  Regiment  boarded  the  U.  S.  S.  Mercury, 
and  by  seven  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  had  passed  out  of 
sight  of  land.  On  the  16th  the  remaining  units  sailed  on 
the  U.  S'.  S.  Pocohontas  along  with  part  of  the  117th  In- 
fantry. 

The  return  trip  was  made  in  twelve  days,  during  which 
the  sea  was  extremely  calm ; the  trip  being  devoid  of  excite- 
ment making  the  time  seem  longer  than  it  actually  was. 
Landing  at  Charleston,  S.  C.,  on  March  27th,  the  Regiment 
immediately  entrained  for  Camp  Jackson,  S.  C.,  where  the 
final  work  of  discharging  the  men  was  to  be  completed.  On 
April  1st,  the  Regiment  paraded  in  Columbia  before  a vast 
crowd  that  had  come  from  the  Carolinas  and  Tennessee  to 
welcome  the  30th  Division  on  its  return  from  the  battle- 
fields of  Europe.  On  the  same  afternoon  the  discharging 
of  the  men  began,  and  by  the  end  of  the  week  there  was 
nothing  but  the  skeleton  of  the  once  famous  organization 
in  existence.  The  men  who  had  been  inducted  into  service 
m camps  other  than  Camp  Sevier  and  Camp  Jackson  were 
returned  to  these  other  camps  for  final  discharge. 

The  parting  of  the  ways  was  so  hurried  and  the  anxiety 
of  the  men  to  see  their  loved  ones  once  again  was  so  keen 
that  there  was  very  little  sentiment  connected  with  the 
breaking  up  of  the  regiment.  It  is  sincerely  hoped  that  the 
vast  majority  of  the  men  will  be  present  at  the  first  annual 
meeting  of  the  Old  Hickory  Association  in  Greenville.  S.  C., 
which  will  be  held  during  the  last  week  in  September  of 
this  year.  One  can  imagine  the  pleasure  of  having  all  the 
men  who  formerly  served  in  the  118th  Infantry  meet  on  an 
equal  basis,  talk  over  the  days  that  have  passed,  and  renew 
friendships  that  have  stood  the  test  of  blood  and  iron. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Supply  Company. 

The  following  account  of  the  work  and  organization  of 
the  Supply  Company  of  the  R-egiment  has  as  one  of  its 
principal  objects  a comparison  between  the  different  meth- 
ods of  handling  supplies  in  the  American  and  British 
Armies.  It  was  the  belief  of  the  men  who  worked  in  this 
branch  of  the  service  that  the  British  method  was  far 
superior  to  the  American  method  in  many  respects,  and  it 
was  in  the  hope  that  a realization  of  this  be  brought  to  the 
attention  of  some  one  in  authority  in  the  Quartermaster 
Department  of  our  Army  that  Captain  Robert  T.  Brown, 
Regimental  Supply  Officer,  has  contributed  the  following 
account. 

Much  would  have  to  be  written  if  an  attempt  wei’e  made 
to  record  in  detail  all  the  work  done  by  the  Supply  Com- 
pany. It  can  readily  be  seen  that  no  work  done  by  any  part 
of  the  Regiment  could  have  been  accomplished  without 
direct  connection  with  this  Company. 

The  Supply  Company,  commanded  bv  the  Regimental 
Supply  Officer,  is  directly  responsible  for  the  drawing, 
transporting  and  issuing  of  every  article  of  food,  clothing 
and  equipment,  except  medicines,  used  by  the  entire  Regi- 
ment. The  table  of  organization  of  the  Supply  Company 
of  an  infantry  Regiment  authorized  the  following  per- 
sonnel : One  captain,  Regimental  Supply  Officer,  command- 
ing; one  first  lieutenant,  one  second  lieutenant  and  one 
hundred  and  sixty-four  enlisted  men.  This  number  was 
found  to  be  utterly  inadequate  and  was  increased  by  attach- 
ment of  officers  and  men  from  line  companies  of  the  Regi- 
ment, to  eight  officers  and  two  hundred  eighty-six  men. 
This  number  of  officers  and  men  were  used  on  the  Ypres 
front  and  proved  to  be  ideal,  giving  efficiency  under  almost 
any  circumstances.  On  the  Bellicourt  front  the  shortage 
of  officers  in  the  Regiment  caused  the  number  of  officers 
with  the  Supply  Company  to  be  reduced  to  five,  and  it  was 
with  the  handicap  of  this  shortage  that  the  Supply  Com- 
pany functioned  during  this  operation. 


52 


Upon  arrival  in  France,  our  Division  was  attached  for 
duty  with  the  British  Army,  which  necessitated  the  use  of 
almost  complete  British  equipment  and  also  the  British 
ration.  By  special  arrangement,  the  Americans  were  issued 
coffee  and  five  per  cent,  more  fresh  meat  per  ration  than 
the  Tommies.  This  practically  complete  adoption  of  British 
equipment  and  supplies,  and,  as  we  were  to  operate  with 
them,  made  it  necessary  for  us  to  adopt  their  system.  This 
would  have  been  a comparatively  simple  matter  had  we 
adopted  as  a whole  their  system,  which  had  been  estab- 
lished upon  experience  gained  by  them  in  recent  wars  and 
which  was  proven  during  four  years’  operation  in  this  war 
to  be  an  absolute  success.  As  usual,  this  was  not  done,  and 
all  serious  troubles  met  with  while  operating  with  the 
British  was  caused  by  the  lack  of  something  which  was  not 
adopted  from  them  by  us. 

In  changing  over  to  the  British  system  the  Supply  Com- 
pany was  at  once  divided  into  four  separate  detachments, 
one  being  assigned  to  each  battalion  and  the  fourth,  under 
the  Regimental  Supply  Officer,  was  detached  from  the 
Regiment  and  placed  in  charge  of  an  Area  Ration  Refilling 
point.  The  ration  supply  of  the  118th  Infantry  was  looked 
after  by  the  Supply  Officer  from  this  place  and  the  British 
ration  system  was  soon  thoroughly  understood  and  work- 
ing without  a hitch. 

With  the  other  equipment  and  supplies  it  was  different. 
The  Supply  Company  detachments  were  responsible  directly 
for  the  drawing  and  proper  distribution  of  these  supplies, 
and  they  not  only  did  not  know  or  have  any  one  to  tell 
them  how  to  make  requisitions  for  the  needs  of  the  bat- 
talions, but  they  had  no  table  of  allowances  by  which  to 
issue  the  equipment  which  had  been  issued  to  them  auto- 
matically. There  were  no  blank  forms  on  hand  and  the 
inexperienced  detachments  would  not  have  known  what 
to  do  with  them  had  they  been  available.  The  credit  is 
due  First  Lieutenant  H.  A.  Kluge  for  the  keeping  of  all 
Regimental  supply  records  which  were  kept  during  this 
time. 


53 


The  first  try  out  of  the  new  system  when  on  the  march 
showed  an  alarming  shortage  of  transportation  but  proved 
the  ration  system  to  be  absolutely  efficient.  This  serious 
shortage  of  transportation  was  never  corrected  but  was 
helped  before  the  next  move  by  the  addition  of  six  wagons 
and  by  a material  reduction  in  the  authorized  baggage 
allowance  of  the  Regiment.  The  officers’  baggage  allow- 
ance was  reduced  to  a maximum  of  fifty  pounds.  Upon 
arrival  in  Belgium  and  on  going  into  the  line  there  it  Avas 
found  that  the  Regiment  was  short  of  clothing  and  equip- 
ment, and  also  it  Avas  found  that  no  records  were  being 
kept  showing  what  was  on  hand,  what  had  been  draAvn  or 
just  what  Avas  needed  by  the  Regiment.  Property  reports 
were  constantly  being  called  for  which  could  not  be  fur- 
nished, and  it  Avas  seen  that  they  could  not  be  furnished 
unless  the  supply  personnel,  Avith  each  separate  unit,  were 
again  increased  and  trained  in  this  work.  This  was  not 
practicable  at  this  time,  and,  seeing  that  these  difficulties 
Avere  growing  in  the  battalions  and  separate  units,  and 
knowing  that  he  had  in  the  supply  sufficient  experienced 
enlisted  personnel  with  which  to  establish  one  competent 
recording  office  for  the  entire  Regiment,  the  Regimental 
Supply  Officer  requested  that  this  be  done.  The  advantage 
in  relieving  the  battalions  and  separate  units  of  this  work 
and  of  being  able  to  get  property  reports  for  the  Regiment 
from  one  office  instead  of  five  Avas  at  once  recognized  by 
Colonel  McCully,  and  this  system  was  adopted  by  him  in 
the  118th.  Within  a.  short  time  the  advantages  of  this 
system  became  so  apparent  that  it  was  adopted  by  the 
Division.  The  method  of  keeping  a correct  record  of  re- 
quests and  issues,  with  dates,  Avas  devised  by  Regimental 
Supply  Sergeant  J.  Furman  Arnold,  and  on  account  of 
its  simplicity  and  conA^enience,  combined  Avith  accuracy,  it 
Avas  adopted  by  the  Division  Inspector. 

The  first  great  difficulty  to  overcome  was  the  shortage 
of  officers.  There  was  only  one  officer  with  each  section  of 
the  Supply  Company,  which  made  it  absolutely  necessary 
that  enlisted  man  be  called  upon  to  act  as  assistants  to 
these  officers  and  in  so  doing  assume  the  duties  and  respon- 


54 


sibilities  of  officers.  These  places  were  filled  with  a marked 
degree  of  efficiency  by  enlisted  men,  to  whom  great  credit 
is  due.  In  the  British  and  Australian  units,  who  operated 
with  us  and  under  the  same  identical  circumstances,  the 
exact  relative  positions  to  those  filled  b}^  these  men  were 
filled  by  commissioned  officers.  Unfortunately,  promotion 
was  denied  these  men,  as  it  was  ruled  that  no  matter  how 
efficient  a man  proved  himself  to  be.  or  how  well  suited  he 
was  for  a position  as  a commissioned  officer  in  the  Supply 
Company,  he  could  not  be  commissioned  unless  he  was  able 
to  pass  the  examination  required  in  line  com pany  duties. 
This  was  out  of  the  question,  as  the  men  in  the  Supply 
Company  do  not  have  an  opportunity  to  learn  line  com- 
pany work. 

Too  much  praise  could  hardly  be  given  the  British  sys- 
tem of  transportation  and  supplies.  The  tributes  made 
by  us  while  serving  with  them  and  especially  those  made 
after  we  came  back  under  the  American  system  are  ample 
indication  as  to  which  is  the  better.  The  difference  between 
the  American  and  British  systems  was  so  noticeable  to 
those  who  had  worked  under  both  that  it  was  commented 
on  by  all  ranks.  The  systems  of  supplying  clothes  and 
equipment  are  similar  in  both  armies  insofar  as  they  effect 
the  lower  units  and  individuals,  but  the  ration  systems  are 
entirely  different.  The  American  Army  is  still  using  the 
old  warehouse,  ten  day  issue  system,  which  places  troops 
out  of  barracks  and  away  from  spacious  warehouses  in  a 
serious  predicament.  Simply  speaking,  we  found  that  the 
American  system  was  unweildy  and  not  adapted  to  active 
warfare.  The  British  system  has  a daily  issue  basis  which 
gives  it  a remarkable  degree  of  elasticity  with  efficiency 
under  all  conditions.  Their  system  keeps  in  operation 
every  day  an  organized  force  with  transportation  which  can 
take  care  of  whatever  difficulties  which  may  be  expected 
under  most  severe  conditions.  Under  this  system,  for  in- 
stance, divisional  warehouses  and  places  of  storage  are 
unnecessary,  the  rations  being  delivered  daily  direct  from 
the  rail  head  to  the  troops,  where  they  are  divided  and 
loaded  on  covered  wagons  the  same  day.  Their  system  is 


55 


arranged  in  such  a way  that  the  troops  always  have  two 
days’  rations  on  hand.  In  unusual  cases  where  a unit  is 
unable  to  get  their  request  in  on  time  for  the  daily  consoli- 
dation, the  officer  in  charge  simply  duplicates  the  last 
former  request  and  makes  the  necessary  additions  or  deduc- 
tions on  the  next  day’s  request,  in  case  a change  in  strength 
made  the  duplication  incorrect. 

The  number  of  rations  requested  by  the  rail  head  supply 
officer  is  sent  to  him  the  next  morning  in  what  is  called  a 
pack  train.  They  are  at  once  divided,  loaded  on  motor 
trucks,  and  are  sent  out  to  the  distribution  points,  where 
they  are  again  divided  and  loaded  on  the  regimental  or 
separate  units  second  line  transports.  They  are  kept  on 
these  wagons  overnight  and  are  delivered  to  the  battalions 
or  first  line  transports  the  following  morning,  who  deliver 
them  to  the  company  kitchens  in  the  afternoon.  The  sec- 
ond line  wagons,  after  delivering  rations  to  the  battalions 
in  the  morning,  return  at  once  to  the  distribution  point 
and  refill  with  the  rations  which  have  come  up  to  the  point 
by  lorry.  This  gives  a regiment  two  full  days  and  the  un- 
consumed portion  of  the  third  day’s  ration  on  hand  at  all 
times. 

Unde  rthis  system,  in  case  of  a sudden  move  a telegram 
will  switch  the  pack  train  to  the  new  location.  Likewise, 
a message  will  direct  the  lorries  to  a different  location  of 
the  distribution  point,  and  the  same  applies  on  down  to  the 
companies.  The  same  will  apply  in  case  only  a part  of  a 
unit  moves,  as  any  part  of  a day's  ration  for  a unit  can  be 
switched  to  a new  location  and  the  men  shifted,  take  with 
them  from  the  old  location  the  two  days’  ration  which  had 
been  delivered  there.  In  case  of  an  advance,  the  haul  made 
by  trains,  lorries  and  wagons  are  simply  lengthened  and 
the  men  continue  to  be  fed  daily  regardless  of  the  distance 
they  advance.  The  same  applies  in  case  of  a retreat,  the 
enemy  never  being  able  to  capture  more  than  a day’s  rations 
in  a bulk  unless  he  captures  the  whole  country,  as  the  only 
warehouses  are  too  far  back  to  be  surprised.  These  are 
only  a few  of  the  many  advantages  of  the  British  system 
over  the  American  and  the  only  disadvantage  noticed  was 


56 


that  the  British  system  requires  more  men  and  officers  and 
more  transportation  to  handle  it.  This  disadvantage  is 
more  than  made  up  for  by  the  fact  that  it  gives  efficiency, 
and  no  number  of  men,  however  great,  at  the  front  are  of 
much  value  unless  they  are  properly  supplied,  and  the  bet- 
ter they  are  fed  and  supplied,  the  more  efficient  they  are. 
While  operating  under  the  British  system,  the  118th  In- 
fantry holds  the  record  of  not  having  missed  a single  day, 
either  in  camp,  when  on  the  march,  or  during  their  big 
advance,  in  getting  rations  up  to  the  units.  There  was 
no  spectacular  work  to  be  done  by  the  Supply  Company, 
but  the  importance  of  their  work  was  second  to  no  other 
branch  of  the  regiment  and  sharing  the  dangers  and  hard- 
ships of  the  Regiment,  they  did  their  work  as  a whole  with 
determination  and  efficiency. 


LIEUTENANT  JAMES  C.  DOZIER 


Awarded  the  Medal  of  Honor  for 
conspicuous  gallantry  and  intrepidity 
above  and  beyond  the  call  of  duty  in 
action  near  Montbrehain,  Fiance, 
October  8th,  1918,  also  the  British 
Military  Cross  by  the  British  Govern- 
ment. 


SERGEANT  THOMAS  L.  HALL 

Awarded  the  Medal  of  Honor  for 
conspicuous  gallantry  and  intrepidity 
above  and  beyond  the  call  of  duty 
in  action  near  Montbrehain,  France, 
October  8th,  1918. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Some  Statistics. 

The  118th  Infantry  has  the  proud  record  of  having  had 
more  men  receive  the  Medal  of  Honor  than  any  regiment 
in  the  American  Expenditionary  Forces.  The  following 
accounts  are  the  official  citations  of  the  War  Department 
covering  the  six  awards.  In  every  instance  these  men  were 
residents  of  the  State  of  South  Carolina,  the  State  that 
gave  origin  to  this  famous  Regiment.  The  citations  follow : 

“James  C.  Dozier,  first  lieutenant,  Company  G,  118th 
Infantry.  For  conspicuous  gallantry  and  intrepidity  above 
and  beyond  the  call  of  duty  in  action  with  the  enemy  near 
Montbrehain,  France,  Oct.  8th,  1918.  In  command  of  two 
platoons,  Lieutenant  Dozier  was  painfully  wounded  in  the 
shoulder  early  in  the  attack  but  continued  to  lead  his  men, 
displaying  the  highest  bravery  and  skill.  When  his  com- 
mand was  held  up  by  heavy  machine-gun  fire  he  disposed 
his  men  in  the  best  cover  available  and  with  a soldier  con- 
tinued forward  to  attack  a machine-gun  nest.  Creeping  up 
to  the  position  in  the  face  of  intense  fire,  he  killed  the  en- 
tire crew  with  hand  grenades  and  his  pistol  and  a little 
later  captured  a number  of  Germans,  who  had  taken  refuge 
in  a dugout  nearby.”  Home  address.  Rock  Hill,  S.  C. 

In  addition  to  receiving  the  Medal  of  Honor.  Lieutenant 
Dozier  was  awarded  the  British  Military  Cross  by  the 
British  Government. 

“Thomas  Lee  Hall  (Deceased)  sergeant,  Company  G, 
118th  Infantry.  For  conspicuous  gallantry  and  intrepidity 
above  and  beyond  the  call  of  duty  in  action  with  the  enemy 
near  Montbrehain,  France,  October  8th,  1918.  Having 
overcome  two  machine-gunt  nests  under  his  skilful  leader- 
ship. Sergt.  Hall's  platoon  was  stopped  800  yards  from  its 
final  objective  by  machine  gun  fire  of  particular  intensity. 
Ordering  his  men  to  take  cover  in  a sunken  road,  he  ad- 
vanced alone  on  the  enemy  machine-gun  post  and  killed 
five  members  of  the  crew  with  his  bayonet  and  thereby 
made  possible  the  further  advance  of  the  line.  While  at- 
tacking another  machine  gun  nest  later  in  the  day  this 
gallant  soldier  was  mortallv  wounded.”  Home  address. 
Fort  Mill,  S.  C. 


58 


“Gary  Evans  Foster,  sergeant  Company  F,  118th  In- 
fantry. For  conspicuous  gallantry  and  intrepedity  above 
and  beyond  the  call  of  duty  with  the  enemy  near  Mont- 
brehain,  France,  October  8th,  1918.  When  his  company 
was  held  up  by  violent  machine-gun  fire  from  a sunken 
road,  Sergt.  Foster,  with  an  officer,  went  forward  to  attack 
the  hostile  machine-gun  nests.  The  officer  was  wounded  but 
Sergeant  Foster  continued  on  alone  in  the  face  of  heavy 
fire  and  by  effective  use  of  hand  grenades  and  his  pistol 
killed  several  of  the  enemy  and  captured  eighteen.”  Home 
address,  Inman,  S.  C. 

“Richmond  H.  Hilton,  sergeant  Company  M,  118th  In- 
fantry. For  conspicuous  gallantry  and  intrepidity  above 
and  beyond  the  call  of  duty  in  action  with  the  enemy  at 
Brancourt,  France,  October  11th,  1918.  While  Sergt.  Hil- 
ton’s company  was  advancing  through  the  village  of  Bran- 
court  it  was  held  up  by  intense  enfilading  fire  from  a ma- 
chine gun.  Discovering  that  this  fire  came  from  a machine 
gun  nest  among  shell  holes  at  the  edge  of  the  town.  Sergt. 
Hilton,  accompanied  by  a few  other  soldiers,  but  well  in 
advance  of  them,  pressed  on  toward  this  position,  firing 
with  his  rifle  until  his  ammunition  was  exhausted,  and 
then  with  his  pistol  killing  six  of  the  enemy  and  capturing 
ten.  In  the  course  of  this  daring  exploit  he  received  a 
wound  from  a bursting  shell  which  resulted  in  the  loss  of 
his  arm.”  Home  address,  Westville,  S.  C. 

Sergeant  Hilton  was  also  awarded  the  Distinguished 
Conduct  Medal  by  the  British  Government. 

“John  C.  Villepigue,  corporal,  Company  M.  118th  In- 
fantry. For  conspicuous  gallantry  and  intrepidity  above 
and  beyond  the  call  of  duty  in  action  with  the  enemy  at 
Vaux  Andigny,  France,  October  loth,  1918.  Having  been 
sent  out  with  two  other  soldiers  to  scout  through  the  village 
of  Vaux  Andigny,  he  met  with  strong  resistance  from 
enemy  machine  gun  fire,  which  killed  one  of  his  men  and 
wounded  the  other.  Continuing  his  advance  without  aid 
500  yards  in  advance  of  his  platoon  and  in  the  face  of 
machine  gun  and  artillery  fire,  he  encountered  four  of  the 
enemy  in  a dugout,  whom  he  attacked  and  killed  with  a 
band  grenade.  Crawling  forward  to  a point  150  yards  in 
advance  of  his  first  encounter,  he  rushed  a machine  gun 
nest,  killing  four  and  capturing  six  of  the  enemy  and  tak- 
ing two  light  machine  guns.  After  being  joined  by  his 
platoon  he  was  severely  wounded  in  the  arm.”  Home  ad- 
dress, Camden,  S.  C. 


SERGEANT  GARY  E.  FOSTER 

Awarded  the  Medal  of  Honor  for 
conspicuous  gallantry  and  intrepidity 
above  and  beyond  the  call  of  duty 
in  action  near  Montbrehain,  France, 
October  8th,  1918. 


SERGEANT  RICHMOND  H.  HILTON 

Awarded  the  Medal  of  Honor  for 
conspicuous  gallantry  and  intrepidity 
above  and  beyond  the  call  of  duty 
in  action  near  Brancourt,  France, 
October  11th,  191S.  Also  the  Dis- 
tinguished Conduct  Medal  by  the 
British  Government. 


a CORPORAL  JOHN  C.  VILLEPIGUE 

Awarded  the  Medal  of  Honor  for 
conspicuous  gallantry  and  intrepidity 
above  and  beyond  the  call  of  duty 
in  action  at  Yaux  Andigny,  France, 
October  15th,  191S.  Also  the  British 
Distinguished  Conduct  Medal  by  the 
British  Government 


CORPORAL  JAMES  D.  HERTOT 

Awarded  the  Medal  of  Honor  for 
conspicuous  gallantry  and  intrepidity 
above  and  beyond  the  call  of  duty 
in  action  at  Yaux  Andignv,  France, 
October  11th,  1918. 


59 


Corporal  Villepigue  also  received  the  British  Distin- 
guished Conduct  Medal. 

“James  D.  Heriot  (Deceased)  corporal.  Company  I, 
118th  Infantry.  For  conspicuous  gallantry  and  intrepidity 
above  and  beyond  the  call  of  duty  in  action  with  the  enemy 
at  Vaux  Andigny,  France.  October  11th.  1918.  Coroporal 
Heriot,  with  four  other  soldiers,  organized  a combat  group 
and  attacked  an  enemy  machine  gun  nest  which  had  been 
inflicting  heavy  casualties  on  his  company.  In  the  advance 
two  of  his  men  were  killed,  and  because  of  the  heavy  fire 
from  all  sides  the  remaining  two  sought  shelter.  Unmind- 
ful of  the  hazard  attached  to  the  mission.  Corporal  Heriot, 
with  fixed  bayonet,  alone,  charged  the  machine  gun.  making 
his  way  through  the  fire  for  a distance  of  30  yards,  and 
forcing  the  enemy  to  surrender.  During  this  exploit  he 
received  several  wounds  in  the  arm.  and  later  in  the  same 
day,  while  charging  another  nest,  he  was  killed.’’  Home 
address,  Providence.  S.  C. 

The  following  list  of  other  men  in  the  Regiment  who 
were  awarded  medals  for  bravery  in  action  is  not  as  com- 
plete as  the  author  would  like  to  have  it,  but  is  as  complete 
as  possible  from  obtainable  information.  Even  since  the 
dissolution  of  the  Regiment  there  have  been  awards,  but 
an  attempt  to  secure  a complete  list  of  all  the  men  who 
were  thus  honored,  from  the  War  Department,  has  resulted 
in  only  a partial  list.  It  is  regretable  that  it  is  not  possible 
to  insert  the  official  citation  of  each  case  that  follows. 

The  following  men  received  the  American  Distinguished 
Service  Cross: 


Company. 


Captain  L.  L.  Ligon 
Captain  J.  W.  Lawlor 
First  Lieutenant  J.  M.  Schwing 
Second  Lieutenant  C.  IV.  Prause 
Sergeant  J.  H.  Gardner 
Sergeant  Samuel  IV.  Fore 
Sergeant  Frank  A.  Burroughs 
Sergeant  Joe  E.  Turner 
Corporal  Paul  Iv.  Sinclair 
Corporal  Y.  Z.  IVeeks 
Corporal  Curtis  M.  Strickland 


B 

F 

F 

I 

L 

E 


Machine  Gun 


D 

M 

I 

M 


60 


Private  John  C.  Carter 


Medical  Det. 


Private  George  A.  Bushing 


G 

D 

D 

G 

F 

L 


Private  Ernest  B.  Greene 
Private  Phillip  Miller 


Private  Callie  A.  Smith 


Private  Rufus  R.  Philips 
Private  Ernest  Morgan 


Private  William  F.  Jones 
Private  James  K.  Faison 
Private  Paul  L.  Hartley 
Private  Albert  J.  Pea  den 
Private  Albert  F.  Cranford 


Medical  Det. 
Medical  Det. 


L 

M 

D 


Lieutenant  Zebulon  Thornburg  was  recommended  for  the 
Distinguished  Service  Cross  and  it  is  very  probable  that 
he  has  received  it  by  this  time,  but  the  author  has  not  been 
able  to  secure  any  definite  information  as  Lieutenant 
Thornburg  was  seriously  wounded  and  was  at  last  reports 
still  in  some  hospital. 

The  following  men  were  awarded  the  British  Distin- 
guished Conduct  Medal : 


Sergeant  J.  Felder  of  D Company,  Sergeant  Clarence  M. 
Dinkins  of  M Company,  Corporal  M.  McAbee  of  D Com- 
pany and  Private  Callie  A.  Smith  of  F Company  were 
awarded  the  British  Military  Medal. 

The  following  is  an  incomplete  list  of  the  men  in  the 
Regiment  who  were  cited  in  Division  Orders: 


Company. 


Sergeant  J.  J.  Treacy 
Sergeant  J.  H.  Gardner 
Mechanic  M.  M.  Funderbunk 
Corporal  Y.  Z.  Weeks 
Private  Rufus  R.  Phillips 
Private  Ernest  Morgan 
Private  James  Iv.  Faison 
Private  R.  Verbeke 


I 

L 

I 

I 

F 

L 


Medical  Det. 
D 


Company. 


Sergeant  Dean  S.  Hartley 
Sergeant  Clarence  M.  Dinkins 
Sergeant  Robert  D.  Alexander 
Corporal  Roland  C.  Thomas 
Private  David  W.  Lyons 
Private  Henry  B.  Hunt 
Private  Carl  O.  Jones  (Deceased) 
Private  Myer  Berkman 


L 

M 

K 

M 

L 

1. 

E 

Iv 


61 


Private  Claude  M.  Smoak  Medical  Det. 

Private  William  L.  Stumbo  H 

Private  Edward  W.  Knight  (Deceased)  K 

Private  John  W.  Young  M 

Private  Benjamin  N.  Wright  M 

Private  Charles  Y.  Hoffman  Medical  Det. 

Private  Charles  E.  Mayberry  L 

Private  Fred  C.  Hinsch  G 

Private  Charles  Heath  G 

Private  Lonnie  E.  McCutcheon  E 

Private  Bora  G.  Hyman  L 

Private  Loater  L.  McKinney  F 

Private  Aaron  B.  Miller  F 

Private  Roe  Bradley  F 


As  evidence  of  the  nature  of  the  fighting  participated  in 
by  this  Regiment,  the  following  report  of  casualties  among 
the  officers  is  given : 

KILLED 

Captain  A.  Zane  Pyles 
Captain  Wm.  A.  Jones 
First  Lieutenant  W.  A.  Hudgens 
First  Lieutenant  P.  B.  N.  Earle 
First  Lieutenant  W.  A.  Mulloy 
First  Lieutenant  George  F.  Read 
First  Lieutenant  Wm.  K.  Frampton 
Second  Lieutenant  Wm.  O.  Stevenson 
Second  Lieutenant  M.  W.  Jones 
Second  Lieutenant  Tillman  R.  Smith 
Second  Lieutenant  Henry  J.  Brown 
Second  Lieutenant  Robert  E.  Farmer 
Second  Lieutenant  Charles  Reshrig 

WOUNDED 

Major  Gabriel  H.  Mahon 
Major  James  H.  Howell 
Captain  Hiram  Hutchinson 
Captain  Jesse  T.  Crawford 
Captain  Samuel  W.  Parks 
Captain  Robert  W.  Hudgens 
First  Lieutenant  James  Anderson 
First  Lieutenant  Richard  S.  Gessford 
First  Lieutenant  Harry  E.  Wickes 
First  Lieutenant  Henry  W.  Ruhl 
First  Lieutenant  Sam  J.  Royall 
First  Lieutenant  James  C.  Dozier 
First  Lieutenant  James  A.  Schwing 
First  Lieutenant  Gottlieb  A.  Neuffer 
Second  Lieutenant  John  B.  Howard 
Second  Lieutenant  Daniel  T.  Smith 
Second  Lieutenant  Zebulon  B.  Thornburg 
Second  Lieutenant  Paul  F.  Newell 
Second  Lieutenant  Edgar  E.  McNeil 
Second  Lieutenant  Jesse  M.  Barton 
Second  Lieutenant  Jerry  B.  Fenton 
Second  Lieutenant  Carl  T.  Prause 


Regimental  Adjutant 
Company  L 

Adjutant,  3rd  Battalion 
Company  M 
Company  I 
Company  F 
Company  D 
Company  A 

Headquarters  Company 
Company  F 
Company  K 
Company  F 
Company  L 


1st  Battalion 
3rd  Battalion 
Company  K 
Company  C 
Company  G 

Headquarters  Company 
Company  K 
Company  K 
Company  L 

Headquarters  Company 
Headquarters  Company 
Company  G 

Headquarters  Company 
Machine  Gun  Company 
Company  H 
Company  E 
Company  F 
Company  G 

Machine  Gun  Company 
Headquarters  Company 
Company  D 
Company  I 


62 


GASSED 

Captain  L.  L.  Ligon 
Captain  Fred  E.  Stuart 
First  Lieutenant  W.  W.  Wingo 
First  Lieutenant  Paul  C.  Bradshaw 
First  Lieutenant  Harry  G.  Kessenich 
First  Lieutenant  .Toe  T.  Smith 
First  Lieutenant  Henry  P.  Ledford 
First  Lieutenant  Burman  D.  Moore 
First  Lieutenant  John  H.  Wiggs 
Second  Lieutenant  Alfred  O’Neal 
Second  Lieutenant  Atlas  M.  Pickett 
Second  Lieutenant  Robert  M.  Maxey 


Company  B 

Attached,  105th  Signal  Bn. 
Headquarters  Company 
Adjutant,  1st  Battalion 
Headquarters  Company 
Company  L 
Medical  Corps 
Medical  Corps 
Company  H 
Company  H 
Company  D 
Company  L 


In  addition  to  the  above,  it  was  necessary  to  evacuate  a 
few  other  officers,  who  are  not  reported  as  battle  casualties, 
on  account  of  sickness  and  accidents.  Some  of  these  would 
not  leave  the  lines  until  ordered  to  do  so.  The  above  report 
was  made  soon  after  the  Regiment  came  out  of  the  lines  in 
October  and  there  are  no  doubt  a few  additional  names 
which  should  be  added. 


Detailed  Report  of  Casualties  From  September 
1918,  in  the  118th  Infantry. 


28  to  October  29, 
Evaeu- 


Organization. 

Killed.  Wounded. 

Gassed 

Missing. 

ated. 

1st  Battalion — 

Officers  

2 

3 

2 

5 

Men  

. 36 

204 

178 

23 

38 

2nd  Battalion — 

Officers  

. 3 

6 

2 

1 

Men  

. . 59 

381 

98 

45 

45 

3rd  Battalion — 

Officers  

6 

6 

2 

9 

Men  

. 79 

310 

65 

28 

52 

Headquarters  Co. — 

Officers  

2 

5 

3 

Men  

5 

13 

75 

9 

37 

Supply  Company — - 

Officers  

Men  

2 

2 

Machine  Gun  Company — 

Officers  

2 

2 

Men  

9 

34 

12 

3 

Medical  Detachment — 

Officers  

2 

i 

Men  

6 

16 

9 

Total 

Casualties. 

Organization. 

Officers. 

Men. 

1st  Battalion  

12 

479 

1° 

624 

3rd  Battalion  

16 

514 

Headquarters  Company 

10 

132 

Machine  Gun  Company 

4 

48 

Supply  Company  

Medical  Detachment  . . . 

O 

24 

57 

1.S23 

63 


The  above  detailed  report  was  made  on  October  29th,  1918, 
and  cannot  be  relied  on  as  absolutely  correct.  It  does  not 
include  the  men  who  died  of  wounds  in  hospitals,  but  it  can 
be  taken,  however,  as  an  indication  of  what  this  Regiment 
went  through  with  in  a little  over  a month. 

The  following  extracts  from  a few  of  the  laudatory  mes- 
sages received  by  the  30th  Division  and  the  118th  Infantry 
should  be  of  interest  as  showing  how  the  efforts  of  this 
Division  were  appreciated  throughout  the  world : 

Extract  from  General  Order  No.  3,  Headquarters  60th 
Infantry  Brigade,  October  29,  1918 : 

4.  “In  the  fighting  of  October  11th,  the  118th  Infantry 
Regiment  fought  with  this  Brigade.  It  was  entirely  suc- 
cessful and  displayed  those  soldierly  qualities  of  fortitude, 
courage  and  skill  which  demand  the  high  admiration  of  the 
Brigade  Commander.  That  Regiment  is  heartily  congratu- 
lated, as  is  the  3rd  Battalion  of  the  117th  Infantry  Regi- 
ment, which  fought  with  this  Brigade  on  October  19th. 
Much  credit  is  due  these  organizations:  they  contributed 
much  to  the  success  of  this  Brigade.” 

S.  L.  Faison, 

Brigadier  General,  U.  S.  A. 

General  Order  No.  22,  Headquarters  118th  Infantry, 
October  4th,  1918 : 

1.  “The  Regimental  Commander  desires  to  express  to  the 
officers  and  men  of  the  Regiment  his  appreciation  of  their 
heroic  conduct  in  their  first  battle. 

2.  For  five  days  the  Regiment  held  the  front  of  the 
Divisional  Sector,  advancing  the  line  and  repelling  an 
enemy  raid.  In  the  advance  of  the  Division,  the  Regiment 
was  assigned  the  most  important  position  as  the  Divisional 
reserve.  The  2nd  Battalion  and  the  Machine  Gun  Company 
were  sent  to  reinforce  the  left  of  the  line.  Other  companies 
were  engaged  in  trying  service,  aiding  the  wounded  and 
burying  the  dead.  All  organizations  shared  in  the  Regi- 
ment’s contribution  to  the  Division’s  great  victory,  the 
breaking  of  the  Hindenburg  Line,  once  thought  impreg- 
nable. 


64 


3.  These  are  actions  whose  mere  recital  must  stir  the 
imagination.  Men  engaged  in  such  deeds  have  won  the 
right  to  stand  in  the  ranks  of  the  valiant. 

4.  In  this  day  of  victory  we  record  our  deep  springing 
sorrow  for  our  comrades  who  have  given  their  lives  to  the 
Cause;  what  they  have  done  will  be  remembered  as  long 
as  America  honors  valor.” 

Orrin  K.  Wolfe, 
Colonel  Infantry. 

Field  Marshal  Haig,  in  his  resume  of  the  operations  of 
the  30th  and  27th  Divisions  while  with  his  forces,  made  the 
following  statements.  His  report  was  dated  October  20th, 
1918: 

“In  the  course  of  the  last  three  weeks  the  27th  and  30th 
Divisions  of  the  2nd  Corps,  operating  with  the  4th  British 
Army,  have  taken  part  with  great  gallantry  and  success  in 
three  major  offensive  operations,  besides  being  engaged  in 
a number  of  lesser  attacks.  In  the  course  of  the  fighting 
they  displayed  soldierly  qualities  of  a high  order  and  have 
materially  assisted  in  the  success  of  our  attacks.” 

“Having  fought  with  the  utmost  dash  and  bravery  in  the 
great  attack  of  September  29th,  in  which  the  Hindenburg 
Line  was  broken,  and  having  on  this  occasion  captured  the 
villages  of  Bellicourt  and  Nauroy,  with  a large  number 
of  prisoners,  on  October  8th.  the  troops  of  the  2nd  Amer- 
ican Army  Corps  again  attacked  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Montbrehain.  In  three  days  of  successful  fighting  they 
completed  an  advance  of  ten  miles  from  Montbrehain  to 
St.  Souplet,  overcoming  determined  resistance  and  cap- 
tured several  strongly  defended  villages  and  woods. 
Throughout  the  past  three  days  they  have  again  attacked 
daily  and  in  each  occasion  with  complete  success,  though 
the  enemy’s  resistance  was  most  obstinate.’ 


The  following  communication,  addressed  to  the  Com- 
manding General,  30th  Division,  by  the  Mayor  of  Busigny, 
under  date  of  October  17th,  was  published  for  the  com- 
mand : 


65 


“Acting  as  a representative  of  the  Commune,  and  in  its 
name,  consequently  in  the  name,  too,  of  a part  of  France, 
I take  the  liberty  to  come  and  express  to  our  liberator  and 
to  the  gallant  troops  under  your  command  our  feeling  of 
deepest  and  eternal  gratitude. 

“For  those  who  have  not  been  submitted,  as  we  have  been 
for  four  years,  to  the  intolerable  and  abhorred  German 
yoke,  it  is  difficult  to  realize  how  great  were  the  relief,  the 
joy,  the  well  being,  in  a word,  of  the  unexpressible  hap- 
piness we  all  felt  when  the  first  Allied  troops  made  their 
way  through  our  village  and  the  great  event  has  been  for 
us  like  the  dawn  of  a resurrection.  I should  be  very  thank- 
ful to  you  if  you  would  convey  to  all  your  officers,  N.  C.  O.’s 
and  men  under  your  command,  our  deep  feeling  of  admira- 
tion and  eternal  gratitude.  Please,  sir,  accept  the  expres- 
sion of  my  highest  consideration  and  believe  me, 

“Yours  most  devotedly, 

“The  Mayor, 

“E.  Mains.” 

During  the  ten  months  spent  in  F ranee  by  this  Regiment, 
a great  many  transfers  were  made  in  the  officer  personnel. 
The  following  list  of  officers  contains  the  names  and  ad- 
dresses of  the  great  majority  of  these.  These  addresses 
were  furnished  at  the  time  these  officers  joined  the  Regi- 
ment. 


Colonels  : 

P.  Iv.  McCullv,  Anderson,  S.  C. 

O.  R.  Wolfe,  Regular  Army. 

G.  H.  Healey,  Rensselaer,  Ind. 

Lieutenant-Colonels  : 

W.  F.  L.  Hartigan,  Regular  Army. 
Thos.  B.  Spratt,  Fort  Mill,  S.  C. 
David  Walley,  Richton,  Miss. 

Majors  : 

J.  T.  Crawford,  Williamston,  S.  C. 
W.  L.  Gillespie,  Cheraw,  S.  C. 


66 


J.  H.  Howell,  Waynesville,  S.  C. 

R.  C.  Heyward,  Pelzer,  S.  C. 

G.  H.  Mahon,  Greenville,  S.  C. 

L.  C.  McFadden,  Rock  Hill,  S.  C. 

James  A.  Poore,  Columbia,  S.  C. 

W.  D.  Workman,  Greenville,  S.  C. 

C.  C.  Wyche,  Spartanburg,  S.  C. 

Captains : 

F.  J.  Beatty,  Greenville,  S.  C. 

S.  E.  Beers,  Madison,  Wis. 

E.  S.  Blake,  Belton,  S.  C. 

P.  M.  Brown,  Sumter,  S.  C. 

R.  T.  Brown,  Myers  Mill,  S.  C. 

R.  E.  Craig,  Hartsville,  S.  C. 

R.  A.  Fulp,  Fort  Mill,  S.  C. 

L.  D.  Hill,  Knoxville,  Tenn. 

P.  H.  Hoge,  Pewee  Valley,  Ky. 

Robt.  W.  Hudgens,  Mountville,  S.  C. 

Hiram  Hutchinson,  Rock  Hill,  S.  C. 

W.  W.  Jones  (Killed),  183  Johnson  Ave.,  Newark,  N.  J. 
C.  M.  Ivephart,  High  Point,  N.  C. 

J.  W.  Lawlor,  71  Chestnut  St.,  Montclair,  N.  J. 

Arthur  Lee,  Greenwood,  S.  C. 

Robert  E.  Lee,  3623  Leland  Ave.,  Chicago,  111. 

L.  L.  Ligon,  Anderson,  S.  C. 

R .A.  McBrayer,  Asheville,  N.  C. 

F.  M.  Mack,  Fort  Mill,  S.  C. 

Harry  Miller,  318  N.  Seventh  St,,  Terre  Haute,  Ind. 

W.  F.  Murrah,  Memphis,  Tenn. 

Sam  W.  Parks,  Fort  Mill,  S.  C. 

A.  Zane  Pyles  (Killed),  Washington,  D.  C. 

Ralph  J.  Rainer,  Anderson.  S.  C. 

C.  G.  Rea,  Muncie,  Ind. 

John  W.  Sands,  Glenn  Ridge.  N.  J. 

H.  C.  Underwood. 

L.  W.  Watkins,  Greenville,  S.  C. 

Sam  D.  Willis,  Greenville,  S.  C. 


67 


First  Lieutenants  : 

James  Anderson,  Easley,  S.  C. 

E.  L.  Averitt,  507  Wallen  St.,  Portsmouth,  O. 

G.  C.  Bailey,  Pelzer,  S.  C. 

E.  C.  Bardwell,  150  Oakland  St.,  Springfield,  Mass. 

S.  L.  Blackmar,  4847  E.  65th  St.,  Portland,  Ore. 

P.  E.  Bradshaw,  Anderson,  S.  C. 

Eugene  F.  Carroll. 

L.  C.  Cobb,  115  W.  2nd  St.,  Waterloo,  la. 

R.  H.  Cobb,  Denmark,  Maine. 

H.  M.  Crawford,  51  Matthews  St.,  Pontiac,  Mich. 

Wm.  N.  Cork,  Rock  Hill,  S.  C. 

J.  C.  Dozier,  Rock  Hill,  S.  C. 

T.  P.  Duckett,  Fountain  Inn,  S.  C. 

P.  B.  W.  Earle  (Killed),  1600  W.  Central  Ave,  Knox- 
ville, Tenn. 

B.  M.  Eppes,  Edgefield,  S.  C. 

Franklin  Fouse,  Winchester,  Ind. 

W.  W.  Frampton  (Killed),  Fenton,  Del. 

J.  W.  Franklin,  Mount  Airy,  N.  C. 

R.  S.  Gessford,  3123  13th  St.,  N.  W.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

F.  W.  Graves,  Silver  Creek,  N.  J. 

H.  C.  Hall,  Sonia,  Mich. 

A.  D.  Hargrove,  Marshallville,  Ga. 

Fred  R.  Hill,  La  Fontain,  Ind. 

G.  M.  Hoke,  Greenville,  S.  C. 

F.  J.  Hombach,  608  1st  Ave.,  Council  Bluffs,  la. 

Wm.  A.  Hudgens  (Killed),  Anderson,  S.  C. 

B.  W.  Hughes,  6543  Minerva  Ave.,  Chicago,  111. 

E.  L.  Hughes,  Greenville,  S.  C. 

J.  H.  Hughes,  Cedar  Grove,  N.  C. 

W.  A.  Huey,  Rock  Hill,  S.  C. 

Paul  Kaminiski,  2117  Maple  St.,  Omaha,  Neb. 

H.  A.  Kear,  Washington,  N.  C. 

Harry  Kessenieh,  Madison,  Wis. 

H.  A.  Kluge,  509  Maryland  Ave.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

C.  W.  Ivoffman,  Oregon  City,  Oregon. 

J.  H.  Koon,  296  College  St.,  Asheville,  N.  C. 

H.  S.  Ledford,  Stackville,  N.  C. 


G8 


P.  C.  Love,  2730  Sacramento  St.,  St.  Joseph,  Mo. 

A.  M.  McLeod,  Camden,  S.  C. 

R.  R.  McLeod,  Hartsville,  S.  C. 

J.  J.  Matthews,  6328  Kimbark  Ave.,  Chicago,  111. 

B.  D.  Moore,  Mt.  Holly,  N.  C. 

D.  M.  Morgan,  Cambria,  Wis. 

W.  H.  Morman,  Warsaw,  Wis. 

W.  A.  Mulloy  (Killed),  Cheraw,  S.  C. 

N.  E.  Nash,  Two  Rivers,  Wis. 

G.  A.  Neuffer,  Abbeville,  S.  C. 

P.  L.  Newell,  Randolph,  Miss. 

O.  A.  Olverson,  Clark,  S.  Dakota. 

D.  E.  Penland,  Asheville,  N.  C. 

H.  E.  Porter,  705  East  6th  St,,  Wilmington,  Del. 

S.  M.  Reber,  Tremont,  Mich. 

G.  J.  Read  (Killed),  4207  W.  Congress  St,,  Chicago.  111. 
Sam  J.  Royall,  Florence,  S.  C. 

Henry  W.  Ruhl,  Clarksburg,  W.  Va. 

O.  L.  Sanders,  5325  Main  St.,  Baltimore.  Md. 

James  A.  Schwing,  Spartanburg,  S.  C. 

A.  C.  Shuler,  2346  Riverside  Ave.,  Jacksonville, 

D.  R.  Simpson,  Laurens,  S.  C. 

Joe  F.  Smith,  Laurens,  S.  C. 

P.  B.  Speed,  Abbeville,  S.  C. 

H.  E.  Wicks,  601  Mountain  Ave.,  Roanoke,  Va. 

J.  H.  Wiggs,  Cowan,  Tenn. 

W.  D.  Wilkinson,  Abbeville,  S.  C. 

W.  W.  Wingo,  Greenville,  S.  C. 


Second  Lieutenants  : 

Pierce  Atwater,  1400  W.  26th  St.,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

J.  M.  Barton,  Barton,  Ohio. 

H.  J.  Blakely,  Mt.  Pleasant,  Tenn. 

Edward  Bradford,  Sumter,  S.  C. 

H.  J.  Brown  (Killed),  Chicago,  111. 

J.  R.  Butler,  22  Greenfield  Ave,,  Saratoga  Springs,  N.  Y. 
W.  Chamberlain,  704  E.  50th  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

Clyde  A.  Clancy,  440  Fourth  St,,  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. 

S.  G.  Coates,  Berwyn.  Pa. 


69 


H.  E.  Cloughly,  122  TV.  90th  St.,  New  York  City. 

T.  B.  Doolittle,  154  Wentworth  St.,  Charleston,  S.  C. 
W.  L.  Dyer,  Idaho. 

C.  S.  Easley,  Greenville,  S.  C. 

R.  E.  Farmer  (Killed),  Anderson,  S.  C. 

J.  B.  Fenton,  1305  N.  Jefferson  St.,  Springfield,  Mo. 
L.  T.  Hagglund,  Huntington,  N.  Y. 

E.  C.  Hodgkiss,  44  Myrtle  Ave.,  Bloomfield,  N.  J. 

H.  TV.  Horn,  459  62nd  St.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

J.  B.  Ploward,  Mount  Pleasant.  Term. 

R.  C.  Jepson,  185  N.  Daman  Ave.,  Chicago.  111. 

J.  R.  Jeter,  Santuc,  S.  C. 

G.  R.  Johnson,  5958  TV.  Lake  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

M .TV.  Jones  (Killed) , Florence,  S.  C. 

J.  B.  Kless,  2289  Seneca  St.,  Buffalo.  X.  Y. 

J.  W.  Lenoir,  Rembert.  S.  C. 

J.  D.  McCullough,  Greenville,  S.  C. 

R.  W.  Maxey,  Memphis,  Tenn. 

TV.  R.  Menshon,  New  Brunswick,  N.  J. 

A.  B.  O’Neal,  Gastonia,  N.  C. 

C.  T.  Parker,  815  Beacon  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 

T.  C.  Perrin.  27  Clinton  Ave.,  S.  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

J.  TV.  Phillips,  Chester,  S.  C. 

A.  M.  Pickett,  901  Jackson  St.,  Durham,  N.  C. 

C.  T.  Prause,  Charleston,  S.  C. 

TV.  F.  Quinlivan,  215  X.  2nd  St.,  Wilmington,  X.  C. 

C.  R.  Rehrig  (Killed). 

G.  E.  Rossow. 

J.  L.  Seitler.  108  S.  12th  St.,  Oleau,  X.  Y. 

H.  M.  Simpson,  225  High  St.,  Geneva,  X.  Y. 

D.  T.  Smith,  Abbeville,  S.  C. 

Tillman  H.  Smith  (Killed),  Cookville,  Tenn. 

C.  M.  Slack. 

TV.  O.  Stevenson  (Killed),  Abbeville,  S.  C. 

B.  A.  Sullivan,  Laurens,  S.  C. 

F.  C.  Swanson.  Hayesville,  X.  C. 

C.  S.  Tiers,  53  W.  Walnut  Lane,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Z.  B.  Thornburg,  Concord,  X.  C. 

F.  TV.  Witzke,  188  Niagara  St.,  Tonawanda.  X.  Y. 


